The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains Fairy Tale

Long, long ago, in northern China, an old man named Yu Gong lived at the foot of two huge mountains. He was nearly ninety years old. One mountain was called Taihang and the other Wangwu. They were so tall that their peaks were hidden in the clouds.

The mountains stood right in front of Yu Gong's house, so whenever his family wanted to go to the market or the next village, they had to walk all the way round them. A trip there and back took months. The children grew tired, and the old people fell ill on the road.

One evening Yu Gong gathered his whole family: his sons, his daughters-in-law and his grandchildren. "What if we dig away these two mountains, carry the stones to the sea and make a straight road? Then our children and grandchildren won't have to suffer on the road," he said.

The family agreed with him. Only Yu Gong's wife had her doubts. "You aren't strong enough to dig away a little hill. How will you dig away such enormous mountains? And where will you put the stones?" "We will carry them to the sea, to the Bohai Gulf," said the sons.

The next morning Yu Gong took his sons and grandsons, hoes and baskets, and they all set to work. They broke up the rocks, dug the earth, filled their baskets and carried them to the faraway sea. Even the neighbours' seven-year-old son came skipping along to help. A trip to the sea and back took a whole year.

On the bank of the same river lived an old man called Zhi Sou, who thought himself very wise. When he saw Yu Gong, he burst out laughing. "What a fool you are! You are ninety years old, and you haven't the strength to pull up a single blade of grass on that mountain. How will you carry away all its rocks?"

Yu Gong sighed deeply and answered calmly, "Your mind is narrow, narrower than a little child's. When I die, my sons will remain. My sons will have children, and their children will have children, and after them there will be more. Our family will never come to an end. But the mountains will not grow any taller. Today we dig a little, tomorrow a little more. One day the mountains will surely be gone."

Zhi Sou had nothing to say and kept quiet.

But the mountain spirits heard Yu Gong's words and were terrified. "This old man really won't stop! His descendants will dig us away completely," they said, and they went to complain to the Lord of Heaven.

The Lord of Heaven admired Yu Gong's determination. "Such a steadfast man deserves help," he said, and he ordered two mighty giants to lift the mountains onto their shoulders. The giants carried one mountain to the east and the other to the south.

In the morning Yu Gong's family woke up to find a smooth, wide road in front of their house. Now they could walk to the market in a single day. The whole village rejoiced and thanked Yu Gong.

Ever since, people in China often tell this tale to children. And about people who never give up and are not afraid of hardship, they say, "Like Yu Gong, he could move mountains." Nothing is impossible for those who keep trying.