Long,
long ago there was a snow-white Jade Dragon, living
in a rock cave on the east bank of the Celestial
River. In the great forest across the river lived a
beautiful Golden Phoenix.
Leaving their home every
morning, the dragon and the phoenix met each other
before going their different ways. One flew in the
sky, while the other swam in the Celestial River. One
day both came to a fairy island. There they found a
shining pebble and were fascinated by its beauty.
"Look, how beautiful
this pebble is!" Golden Phoenix said to Jade
Dragon. "Let's carve it into a
pearl," said Jade Dragon.
Golden Phoenix nodded in
agreement. Then they started working on it, Jade
Dragon using his claws and Golden Phoenix her beak.
They carved the pebble day after day, month after
month, until they finally made it into a perfect
small round ball. In high spirits Golden Phoenix flew
to the sacred mountain to gather dewdrops and Jade
Dragon carried a lot of clear water from the
Celestial River. They sprinkled and washed the ball
with dew and water. Gradually the ball turned into a
dazzling pearl.
They had become attached to
each other and both loved the pearl dearly. Neither
wanted to go back to the cave and the forest. So they
settled down on the fairy island guarding the
pearl. It was a magic pearl. Wherever it shone,
things grew better. Trees became green all the year
round, flowers of all seasons bloomed together and
the land yielded a richer harvest.
One day the Queen Mother of
Heaven left her palace and saw the brilliant rays
shed by the pearl. Overwhelmed by the sight, she was
eager to acquire it. She sent one of her guards to go
in the middle of the night to steal the pearl from
Jade Dragon and Golden Phoenix while they were fast
asleep. When the guard came back with it, the Queen
Mother was very pleased. She would not show it to
anyone, but immediately hid it in the innermost room
of her palace, to which one had to pass through nine
locked doors to reach.
When Jade Dragon and Golden
Phoenix woke up in the morning they found the pearl
gone. Frantically, they searched high and low for it.
Jade Dragon looked into every nook and cranny at the
bottom of the Celestial River, while Golden Phoenix
combed every inch of the sacred mountain, but in
vain. They continued their unhappy search day and
night, hoping to recover their treasured pearl.
On the birthday of the
Queen Mother, all the gods and goddesses in Heaven
came to her palace to offer their congratulations.
She prepared a grand feast, entertaining her guests
with nectar and celestial peaches, the fruit of
immortality. The gods and goddesses all said to her,
"May your fortune be as boundless as the East
Sea and your life last long like the South
Mountain!" The Queen Mother was excited and, on
a sudden impulse, declared, "My immortal
friends, I want to show you a precious pearl which
cannot be found either in Heaven or on earth."
So she unfastened nine keys
from her girdle and unlocked the nine doors one after
the other. From the innermost room of her palace she
took out the bright pearl, placed it on a golden tray
and carried it carefully to the center of the banquet
hall. The whole hall was instantly lit by the pearl.
The guests were fascinated by its radiance and
greatly admired it.
In the meantime, Jade
Dragon and Golden Phoenix were continuing their
fruitless search. Suddenly Golden Phoenix saw its
bright light. She called to Jade Dragon, "Look,
isn't that the light from our pearl?" Jade
Dragon stuck his head out of the Celestial River and
looked. "Of course! No doubt about it! Let's go
and get it back." They flew towards the
light, which led them to the palace of the Queen
Mother. When they landed there, they found the
immortals crowding around the pearl and praising it
lavishly. Pushing through the crowd, Jade Dragon and
Golden Phoenix shouted together, "This is our
pearl!"
The Queen Mother was so
enraged by their claim that she snapped,
"Nonsense! I'm the mother of the Heavenly
Emperor. All treasures belong to me!" Jade
Dragon and Golden Phoenix were infuriated by her
remarks. They protested, "Heaven did not give
birth to this pearl, nor was it grown on earth. It
was carved and polished by us. It took many years'
hard work."
Shamed and angry, the Queen
Mother clutched the tray tightly while ordering her
palace guards to eject Jade Dragon and Golden
Phoenix. But they fought their way back, determined
to snatch the pearl from the Queen Mother. The three
struggled over the golden tray with all their might.
As the tray shook amidst the tussle, the pearl fell
off, rolled to the edge of the stairs and then
dropped into the air.
Jade Dragon and Golden
Phoenix rushed out of the palace, trying to save it
from being dashed to pieces. They flew beside the
falling pearl, until it slowly landed on earth. When
it touched the ground the pearl immediately turned
into a clear, green lake. Jade Dragon and Golden
Phoenix could not bear to part from it, and so they
changed themselves into two mountains, remaining for
ever by the side of the lake.
Since then Jade Dragon
Mountain and Golden Phoenix Mountain have quietly
stood beside the West Lake.