中国民间故事（英文）

Great Wall Collapsed as Meng Jiangnu Cried

This story occurred long, long ago. At that time Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) conscripted 800,000 men to build the Great Wall. Local governments all along the projected route rounded up young men to help to complete the gigantic project. Those who were pressganged and sent to the project site toiled around the clock and many of them were worked to death.

In Suzhou there lived a scholar named Fan Qiliang, who hid himself in all kinds of different places to evade the government troops. One day, he hid himself in the garden of the Meng Family where he happened to meet Meng Jiangnu, who was a beautiful and smart girl. She and her parents hid Fang Qiliang again. Her parents liked him too, and so permitted Meng Jiangnu to marry him. Less than three days after their marriage, Fan Qiliang was caught and transferred to the Great Wall construction site to do hard labor under the command of bailiffs in a feudal yamen. She cried a river, missing him very much and bitterly awaiting his return.

Half a year later, she still had no news from Fan Qiliang. It was late autumn and the northerly were coming and the reed catkins were becoming white and it was colder day by day. Meng Jiangnu thought that because her husband was building the Great Wall in north China, he must be very cold. She sewed some winter clothes for him and set out to go to the Great Wall and find her husband.

On the road, she weathered many hardships, eventually arriving at the foot of the Great Wall. Unexpectedly, a worker told her that Fan Qiliang had died and that his corpse had been buried under the Great Wall. After hearing this heartrending piece of news, Meng Jiangnu felt that there was nothing but gloom above and darkness below, and fainted with sorrow and exhaustion. After regaining consciousness, she burst into floods of bitter tears. She cried so desperately that the heavens were moved by her tears and the sun and moon put out their lights.

Suddenly a trumpet blast rocked the sky and the earth and a part of the Great Wall stretching dozens of kilometers collapsed, exposing thousands of skeletons of those who had died in its construction. Meng Jiangnu bit her finger, and dropped some blood on every skeleton. She prayed secretly that if it was her husband’s skeleton, the blood would infiltrate into it, while if not it would flow in four directions. Finally Meng Jiangnu found the skeleton of her husband. She held the bones in her arms, weeping bitterly.

Thinking Meng Jiangnu very beautiful, Emperor Qinshihuang wanted to force her to be his concubine. Meng Jiangnu pretended to agree, but asked the emperor to complete three tasks first: Monks were invited to recite scriptures for Fan Qiliang for 49 days and rebury his skeleton gracefully; Emperor Qinshihuang personally led all his ministers to offer sacrifice to Fan Qiliang; after Fan Qiliang was buried, Meng Jiangnu visited scenes at different spots for three days before marrying Emperor Qinshihuang. The emperor agreed to her requirements. After the three things were done, Meng Jiangnu severely scolded the emperor and committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

本丛书着重选择在中国流传、广大读者喜闻乐见的经典故事，这些故事不仅展现智慧、品格和灵感，而且有着一定的文学价值。相信国外读者朋友尤其是青少年朋友，在这些美丽故事的感染下，一定会更加了解和热爱中国传统文化。小32开，四色印刷，图文并茂。

Chinese classic stories have inherited and passed on the abundant historic treasury of the Chinese nation that has been accumulated over several thousand years, mirroring the politics, military affairs, culture, folk customs, prevailing moral practices, ideals and interests of ancient China. Through those stories, people can gain an understanding of China's long history and achieve an insight into the profound historical origins of Chinese culture.We have identified stories from the vast number of Chinese classic stories, and complied them into this collection. All stories are illustrated in concise words and expressions, and vivid pictures, which will help the process of reading enjoyable. The series of Classic Stories of China comprises nine books: Scenic Spots Stories, History Stories, Myths Stories, Wisdom Stories, Folk Customs Stories, Ancient Fables, Folk Tales, Idiom Stories, Drama Stories. May those books be your good teacher and helpful friends in learning Chinese culture.

CONTENTS

Legend of the White Snake

The Story of Mr. Dongguo and the Zhongshan Wolf

Lotus Lantern

Wolf !Wolf !

The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea

The Weaving of a Dream

Hundreds of Birds

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai

Hua Mulan Joining the Army

Shennong Tasting All Kinds of Herbs and Plants

Ximen Bao Throwing the Witch Into the River

The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid

Great Wall Collapsed as Meng Jiangnu Cried

The Old Man under the Moon

Lord Bao Interrogates a Stone

The Horse-head Fiddle

Heshouwu, the Buckwheat Tuber

The Legend of the Sworn Brotherhood of the Three Heroes in the Peach Garden

The Stories of Avanti