Earlier today, I finished putting up all of our new thick, chunky silver bangle. One of the bangles has an amazing story to go with it. The bangle actually has a scene from a very famous Chinese legend. The legend is called the Jade Dragon and the Golden Phoenix and it is about how the West Lake in Hangzhou was created. For those who aren't that familiar with many cities in China, the West Lake in Hangzhou is the most famous and there are Countless West Lakes named after it, in many, many, many cities across China.
This is me from our first trip to Hangzhou. On the teaser photo you can see a pagoda in the background, that is where this photo is taken from. And behind is the famous West Lake and you can see the Jade Dragon Mountain and the Golden Phoenix Mountain!
This is me looking out from the pagoda and the West Lake and Jade Dragon Mountain and Golden Phoenix Mountain. So beautiful! We went during Spring Festival, during the start end of January, so it was cold! Very, very, Cold!
Here is the bangle. The Jade Dragon is on the left, the Golden Phoenix on the right and the peal is in the middle.
And, here is the legend...
A long time ago there was a white jade dragon who lived in a rock cave near the Celestial River. Just across from the river in the Great forest, lived a Golden Phoenix.
Each day the dragon and phoenix met, one in the sky the other in the river. One day they both met at an island in the river. They found a shiny pebble and were fascinated by it.
They decided to carve the pebble in to the most beautiful pearl. The Phoenix flew to the mountain to collect dew drops and the Dragon collected water from the river to put on the pebble, to make it shine. It took the two of them years and years, but finally they had made the most beautiful pearl anyone had ever seen.
Both the Dragon and the Phoenix loved the pearl so much, neither wanted to go home and leave the pearl. They both decided to live on the island next to the pearl.
The pearl was magic. Wherever it shone, things were better. Trees were greener, flowers bloomed more and longer, the harvest were bigger and healthier. The whole land became better because of the pearl.
One day the Queen Mother of Heaven saw the light coming from the pearl. She wanted it for herself immediately. She sent one of her guards down from the heavens to steal the pearl. In the middle of the night, while the Dragon and Phoenix were both asleep, the guard took the pearl and gave it to the Queen Mother of the Heavens. She was so pleased to have the pearl. She locked it up in a secret room in her palace.
The next morning when the Dragon and Phoenix woke up, they saw the pearl was gone. They looked everywhere, for months and months but could not find the pearl.
On the Queen Mothers birthday, she prepared a grand feast and invited all of immortals, gods and goddesses to her palace. With all the excitement of her guest and party, the Queen Mother of the Heavens declared she had the most spectacular prize in both the heavens and earth. Immediately the guest wanted to see. She opened the secret room and took out the pearl. The guests loved the pearl.
But, back on earth the Dragon and Phoenix were still searching for the pearl. When Dragon suddenly saw the pearls bright light coming down from the clouds. Both Dragon and Phoenix flew as fast as they could towards the cloudy heavens.
When they arrived, they pushed through all the the Queen Mothers Quests and told her that was their pearl! The Queen Mother was furious! She told them, she was the Queen and all the treasures belonged to her!
Dragon and Phoenix told the Queen Mother of the Heavens, that the heavens did not create this pearl, it was not created on earth. But, they had made the pearl and it took years and years of hard work.
In anger, the Queen Mother told the guards to get the Dragon and Phoenix out of her palace. But, Dragon and Phoenix fought back. The three fought over the pearl, all struggling to grab a hold of it. But, the pearl fell and dropped through the clouds into the air.
The Dragon and Phoenix ran to catch the pearl. But, the pearl fell too fast and they saw it land on earth. When it touched the earth the pearl turned into a beautiful blue lake. The Dragon and Phoenix already loved the lake and did not want to be away from it. They changed themselves into mountains and went beside the lake, where they will stay forever.
This legend is about the West Lake in Hangzhou. The two mountains beside the lake are called Jade Dragon Mountain and Golden Phoenix Mountain.
Now, in China there is a famous saying about this area. "Above there is paradise, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou."
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