Two Chinese legends that reflect the Chinese spirit of hard work and Perseverance

Two Chinese legends that reflect the indomitable hard working spirit and perseverance of the Chinese people are Yu-Kong Yu-San and Jing Wei Niow. If there are shortcomings in these articles I beg for forgiveness and hope netizens can contribute  more to these articles with their knowledgeable comments.

These two legends are selected because they have strong implications of the present hardworking spirit and perseverance of the Chinese people not only in China but also in Sinngapore and throughout the four corners of the earth.

The first legend is "Yu-Kong Yu-San". It is about a foolish old man trying to move the mountain in his village so that he could have more land for cultivation. People laughed at him saying it was impossible for him to move the mountain. However, the old man ignored them and continued to chip at the mountain spade by spade for days and weeks and months and years. People said how could he move the mountain since he was so old. The old man replied that when he died his sons would continue on the job and when his sons died their children  and grandchildren would carry on from generation to generation until the mountain is levelled.

The story reflects the Chinese philosophy of achieving success through faith, determination and hard work. The Chinese have a strong belief that "Faith can move mountains." and that one must struggle and work hard diligently with great determination to achieve success.

Singapore will not be like what it is today without the great determination and the selfless contributions of Tan Tock Seng, Lim Boon Keng, Nee Soon, Tan Kah Kee, Lee Kong Chian , Tan Lark Sye and many more others. Most of them were not rich when they came to Singapore . But through their wisdom, hardwork and indomitable spirit they had helped to build up Singapore to what it is like today. They are really the pioneers and founding fathers of Singapore and Singaporeans will be forever indebted to them for their great contributions , their generosity and charity to the general society at large.

No modern country had suffered greater humiliation at  the hands of the marauding West and Japan than China. For over a hundred years from 1830s to mid 1940s China was attacked , invaded  and almost conquered by Western powers and Japan and reduced to a semi-colonial country and to penury.

When Chairman Mao's People's Liberation drove out the hordes of foreign thieves, robbers, scoundrels and plunderers in 1949 , he had before him an extremely poor penurious China , a China like a dilapidated house in absolute shamble. But with the guidance of Chairman Mao and his close comrades in arms in the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) and the protection of the People's Liberation Army ( PLA  )  China and the Chinese people were undaunted . They struggled and worked hard with indomitable spirit and determination to build up China to what it is like today, a rich and powerful country , a beacon of light and hope to the third world countries who were similarly oppressed and exploited by the Western powers - the whitemen from Europe. The Chinese will never forget that when they were poor and weak they were the laughing joke of the West and Japan who contemptuously disparaged China as "Sick Man of Asia." Now China has rejuvanated and stood up proudly with dignity and self-respect but they still continuously bad mouth about
China and try all ways and means to contain and prevent China's peaceful development.

China has risen like the legendary phoenix from the ashes. China is now sharing her success with the rest of the third world countries by helping them to get out of the shackles of poverty in building their houses, factories, roads and infrastructures like railways and ports and mining. The Chinese believe that when you are successful you must help others to be successful.Thus it is unlike the West , US and Japan who for centuries had exploited third world countries for their own benefit and who will clobber you down when you are successful.

The second legend is called "Jing Wei Tien Hai." It is about a little prinncess - Ni Wo , the youngest daughter of Yan-Di or king Yan-Di.  Yan-di was one of the five legendary emperors of ancient China in which the most famous was emperor Sheng Nong. One day poor Ni-Wo was drowned in the Eastern Sea, probably off  the Shantung province. It was said after she was drowned her spirit metamophosed or transformed into a legendary bird called "Jing Wei Niow." Jing Wei Niow was like a fairy , a spiritual bird. Jing Wei Niow constantly picked twigs and pebbles especially colourful pebbles to fill up the Eastern Sea to reclaim land from the sea so that others may not have to perish as she did. The story reflects on the dogged determination and persistent perseverance of the Chinese people to struggle and achieve success inspite of tremendous impossible odds.

This is reflected in what China is doing in the South China Sea. Many areas of the Chinese South China Sea are treacherous with out cropping rocks, shallow sand bars and lagoons and invisible shoals. In the past hundreds of ships had been wrecked  in the South China Sea. To get rid of this danger China has been reclaiming land from the sea by filling up the treacherous areas with sand and earth. Then the Chinese build houses, farming community and light houses to warn ships of the danger in those areas. This helps ships of all countries to navigate safely from those treacherous areas and from being wrecked. Yet the vicious treacherous West , US and Japan try to put China in a bad light by accusing Chinese good deed for a wrong and fake reason that China is trying to prevent freedom of navigation of free passage for others. China had never stopped freedom of passage in the South China Sea in the past and will not do so now and in future. But it is a different matter when warmongers like US and Japan and the West intent to stir up choas ,trouble and instabilities in the region by sailing their warships close to Chinese shores and Chinese islands. For this China has the right to put a stop to their illegal provocative behaviour.

The Chinese people must never forget about the Old Man who moved the mountain and Jing Wei Tien Hai. They will always motivate and inspire Chinese to struggle hard to achieve success.

Southernglory1

Tuesday, 26th September,2017.