Hello, welcome to Chinese Folk Tales.
This is Man Ling, and I'm bringing you a tale from the exotic land of Xinjiang, China.
Now, if you have ever been to Xinjiang, you probably have noticed the two things right away.
Grapes as sweet as honey, and Uyghur girls with beautiful, intricate long braids.
Why are the grapes so sweet and their braids so long?
Here is the story.
It's a tale of adventure, betrayal, magic, and of course, grapes.
Long, long ago, in the sparsely populated kingdom that was surrounded by a vast desert, yellow dust was everywhere and sandstorms blew nearly all year round.
The people who lived there survived by hunting and exchanging fur for food.
Every spring, a great camel caravan would set off.
Their loads piled high with furs to trade in faraway lands.
One day, the kin of this desert kingdom summoned his two sons together.
My sons, you are both grown now.
It's time for you to step into the world, to test yourselves, to gain experience and to build your own futures.
The gate is open.
You may leave whenever you are ready.
At last.
I've been dreaming of this day for years.
Absolutely.
How exciting.
Right.
So, tell me what you plan to do, and of course, what you'll bring back.
My eldest son, you start.
My father give me enough first to load a hundred camels, and by autumn I will return with grains enough to fill two hundred camels.
Enough to feed the whole kingdom for a year.
Impressive.
And I will also bring back precious gifts for you, my dear father.
The king was impressed, but not the courtiers and advisors, for they knew that the older son was a schemer and was not to be trusted.
And they were right.
Deep down.
The eldest son had long been dreaming of leaving, not to serve his people, but to build his own fortune.
The king loved his son dearly.
The oldest son was, after all, the heir to the throne.
And love can often blind a father from seeing the truth.
And my younger boy, what about you?
All I wish from you, my dear father. is your prize camel and blue maned horse.
I plan to go on a pilgrimage to find the heavenly ruler and ask him to turn our desert into an oasis of green, so that all our lives might become easier.
The king listened to his second son and felt both happy and sad at the same time.
That is a fine ambition, my son.
But From what I know, the heavenly ruler is guarded by a people-eating snake demon.
I fear that if you fail, I might never see you again.
Trust me, father.
I will not fail you.
The king granted his youngest son the camel and the blue-maned horse.
Two days later, the two sons left the palace.
At a fork in the road nearby, they bade each other farewell, set a date to meet again.
The eldest son headed west, and the youngest son went to the east.
I wish you good luck.
You are going to need it.
I think you have no need of luck, my brother.
As you will make your own fortune, I'm sure.
The oldest son walked into the distance without waving farewell.
The youngest son walked through the desert for months until he reached a forest where he set up camp.
He was so tired that he fell fast asleep.
His mind was consumed by the task in hand.
All of a sudden, he heard a noise and realized that it came from the sky.
There he could see a great multicolored cloud which swiftly descended to golf him and the blue-maned horse.
Then they were lost. carried into the sky.
They flew for miles and miles, when at last they landed.
He could see that he was standing next to a beautiful lake that was surrounded by lush forests.
It was a beautiful sight.
Then he heard a voice.
Master?
He looked around but found no one.
Then his horse came close to him and tapped him on the leg with his hoof.
He shook his mane and spoke again.
Master, I've got something to say to you.
Happiness is coming.
The younger son was shocked.
His blue-maned horse was talking like a human.
He was stunned into silence.
Yes, a bit of a shock I know.
But there's more to come, so please get over it.
Go down to the lake where we'll see three young women.
One of them will be your bride.
After you get married, you and your kingdom will be happy forevermore.
And with that the blue-maned horse flew up into the sky over the mountains and disappeared into the distance.
Well, that doesn't happen every day.
I'm thirsty anyway.
I'll go get a drink from the lake.
As he approached the lake, he saw three beautiful white swans landing by the lakeside and turned into young women.
They laughed and sang and splashed around in the water.
Their long hair styled in many elegant braids.
The one dressed in red had 18 braids, the one in yellow had 17, and the one in green, 16.
The young man was fascinated by the sight and stepped out from his hiding place to speak to them.
Good morning.
Don't mind me.
I just got dropped here by a dust storm.
I'm parched and came here for some water.
By the way, have any of you seen a horse with a bright blue mane around here?
The girls were startled.
They thought they were alone.
Who are you?
Why are you here?
Are you spying on us?
This is our secret place.
How did you find it?
Oh wait girls, don't panic.
Blue maned horse, did you say?
That's my enchanted brother.
I haven't seen him in years.
He must have brought you here.
The young man explained his mission to find the heavenly ruler and made the request to turn his home into a lush and green oasis.
The girls scoffed at his plan, all except the girl wearing green.
You can forget about finding the heavenly ruler.
He doesn't deal with mortals.
But the dust storms can be bitten.
First, you have to defeat the yellow snake demon.
Dangerous, yes, but I can help you.
After you do that, I can help your land become a green oasis.
The next day, the girl dressed in green and the young man set off together to find the snake demon.
For over a month they traveled across the desert.
A cave, that's it.
Are you ready for this?
Ready, but before they could even take a proper breath, they heard a rumble, a hiss and whoosh.
The yellow snake demon rushed out from his lair eyes, blazing and wake me from my beauty sleep.
Well, actually, I have come to sleep.
Note hard feelings.
The snake demon raised its head and laughed so loudly that all the earth shook around them.
You creatures, you don't know what you're talking about.
I shall swallow you whole.
You come just at the right time.
I haven't had my breakfast yet, and you shall fill my stomach nicely.
With a mighty heave of its belly and gaping jaws, the snake demon sucked the young man off the ground and into its gullet.
But the young man remained calm and resolute.
Still clutching his sword, he sliced the yellow serpent demon clean in halves from within its belly, emerging unscathed to stand victorious upon the earth once more.
Okay, first task accomplished.
With the yellow snake demon out of the way, the young man and the swan maiden begin their journey home.
Somewhere along the way, through deserts and forests, under the starry night sky and along dusty trails, the two young souls fell in love.
By the time they finally made it back to the palace, autumn had arrived.
There, the young man told the kin of his adventures and introduced him to his prospective daughter-in-law.
My loyal son.
You have done well.
The king smiled, but his smile revealed deep sadness.
He looked older, wearier.
Your brother, he never came back.
A traveler brought me news.
He sold the furs I gave him and used the money to buy houses and servants in another land.
He's not coming back.
The king's heart was broken by betrayal.
And worse, without the grains, the whole kingdom would starve.
At this time, the swan maiden stepped forward from the shadows, her braids shining softly in the torchlight.
Don't worry.
I'm here to help you and your people.
She produced a piece of blanket and unfolded it carefully.
On the blanket was an embroidered picture of a beautiful land with green fields, clear lakes, babbling brooks and mountains covered by dense forests.
The king was enthralled by the picture.
This is astonishing.
But tell me, what are these pearl-like things?
Oh, those are grapes.
Oh yes, you'll love them.
But wait.
The girl placed the blanket on the ground before the king and after a few moments it began to lift off the ground by itself and float up into the air.
Then it shot up all the way beyond the clouds, followed by a loud bang.
Then...
The blanket turned into confetti of colored specks that fluttered down to cover the ground.
Almost immediately, the land around them started to change.
The desert became green and clear babbling brooks appeared.
Trees grew before their very eyes.
Grape vines spread across the walls of the palace.
Their land had become a beautiful oasis.
The people cheered.
Exuberant music echoed across the hills.
And in the heart of that new paradise, a grand wedding was held.
Joyful, romantic, and full of laughter.
And what of the older brother, you may ask?
What indeed!
He was never seen again.
He quickly squandered the riches he took from his father and lived a life of poverty in another land.
But back in the oasis, life flourished.
From that day on, the local girls wore their hair in many elegant braids in honor of the swan maiden who had brought them life and beauty.
And the warm summer air was always sweet with the scent of ripening grapes.
If you ever have the chance to visit Xinjiang, you must try the grapes there.
Sweet, juicy, bursting with sunshine, just as the swan maiden promised long ago.
And in summertime, you will often find people who set their beds beneath the grape trellises.
Guests are always welcome.
Local families place small tables on the iron beds serving sweet melons and crispy grapes for visitors to enjoy.
A taste of legend living on to this very day.
And that brings us to the end of this episode of Chinese Folk Tales.
Thanks for listening.
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Bye for now.
