Legend

*1. The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver The Cowherd was brought up by his brother and sister-in-law and was often maltreated by them. Later they broke up the family and lived apart from him. As a result, he only got an old cow. The Girl Weaver, the granddaughter of the God of Heaven, often descended with the other fairies from on high and took a bath in the secular world. Once the Cowherd, following the advice of the old cow, stole her heavenly dress. Unable to return to the heaven, the Girl Weaver married the Cowherd and had a son and a daughter. They led a happy life with husband tilling the land and wife weaving. When the God of Heaven learned it, he was outraged, and he sent heavenly troops to catch the Girl Weaver. The Cowherd could do nothing but weep with his children. At that time, the cow, who was dying, told the Cowherd that after his death his skin could help the Cowherd rise up to the heaven. Wrapping the skin around him, the Cowherd went to the heaven with his children shouldered in two baskets. Just as he almost caught up with the Girl Weaver, the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens drew a line in the Heaven with her gold hair clasp. Immediately appeared a temptuous heavenly river (the Milky Way). The couple were separated. Later, the affection between the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver moved the God of Heaven, who allowed the Girl Weaver to join her husband only once a year. According to legend, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the Cowherd and the Weaver met on the east bank of the river on that evening, and magpies were made to form a bridge for them. **Chinese Version: 1. 牛郎织女 传说牛郎从小跟着哥嫂长大，常受兄嫂的虐待。后来，哥嫂与他分家，只分给他一头老牛。牛郎就与老牛相依为命。织女是天帝的孙女，常在纺织之余与诸仙女到凡间洗澡。有一次，牛郎根据老牛的吩咐，等仙女们下凡洗澡的时候，偷走了织女的天衣。织女没有了天衣，就飞不回天上去了，于是就和牛郎结为夫妻。牛郎与织女男耕女织，日子过得非常幸福。几年后，二人生下了一儿一女。老牛要死的时候，叮嘱牛郎要把它的皮留下来，到急难时披上就可以得到帮助。后来，天帝知道了织女与凡人结婚的事情非常生气，派天兵天将下凡捉拿织女，织女被带回天上。牛郎不能上天，只能与儿女仰天号哭。紧急之时，牛郎想起了老牛临死时说的话，于是他披上牛皮，挑着一双儿女飞上天去。眼看就要追上织女了，王母娘娘却用头上的金簪凭空一划，顿时划出了一条波涛滚滚的天河，牛郎飞不过天河，只能与织女隔河相望。后来，牛郎、织女的爱情终于感动了天帝，天帝准许他们每年相会一次。每年农历7月7日，由喜鹊为他们搭桥，牛郎和织女才能见上一面。  　　5. The Legend of Lady White   There are many versions about the legend of Lady White and a handsome young man named Xu Xian. Lady White and Xiaoqing, two spirits in fact, came down to earth to seek the little boy who had saved the life of Lady White when she was small and stayed in her heart ever since. It turned out that Xu Xian was the very man they had been looking for. Lady White and Xu Xian fell in love with each other and later with the help of Xiaoqing they got married. At the time of Dragon Boat Festival, it was the custom for every household to fasten plants such as calamus and Chinese mugwort on the ground to drive away spirits, which were surely dangerous to Lady White and Xiaoqing. On that day, Lady White took a sip of realgar prepared by Xu Xian which caused her to lose her superior magic skills and become a large white snake. Xu Xian was greatly shocked when he saw the snake on the bed. He fell to the floor and died. When the power of realgar faded away, Lady White resumed her human form. She was heartbroken to find Xu Xian lying dead beside the bed. To restore Xu Xian to life, Lady White flew to the Kunlun Mountain to steal ganoderma, a celestial herb. There after a battle between Lady White and the heavenly guards, the Immortal of the Southern End appeared, who was impressed by Lady White’s sincerity and perseverance, finally granted her the glossy ganoderma. Xu Xian came back to life and his suspicions were allayed by a story made up by Lady White and Xiaoqing. Later, in order to save her husband, Lady White summoned up surging flood to Jinshan Temple where lived Monk Fa Hai. But finally she failed in the fight and was suppressed by Fa Hai under the Leifeng Pagoda by West Lake. 5. Hou Yi Shot Down the Suns When Yao was the leader of the confederation of tribes, ten suns appeared in the sky. The crops were scorched and the grass and trees were destroyed. The common people were starved to death. At the same time, the monsters and demons ran wild and did great harm to the people. Yao sent Hou Yi to kill them. Hou Yi killed the sharp teeth monster in the wilderness, slew the cruel dragon in the turbulent river, captured the storm demon in the valley of Qingqiu Mountains. After destroying all the monsters, he shot down the nine blazing suns and killed the huge rat deep under the ground. Finally, he cut the longest snake in Dong Ting Lake and captured the largest beast in the mulberry forest. People were all greatly pleased and they supported Yao as the Son of the Heaven. Yi became the hero eulogized by the later generations.   **Chinese Versions: 4. 嫦娥奔月 传说嫦娥是古代的月神，是大神后羿的妻子，本来叫娥。汉文帝刘恒时，因为避讳皇帝的名字，改“”为”嫦”。据《淮南子·览冥训》记载：后羿历尽千难万险从西王母那里求来了不死之药，还没来得及服食，就被妻子嫦娥偷偷吃掉了。于是，嫦娥得道成仙，飞到了月亮上，成了月亮女神。但月宫中孤寂冷清，嫦娥虽然成了神仙，却备受寂寞的煎熬，过得也非常无聊。 5. 后羿射日 据《淮南子·本经训》记载：唐尧为帝王的时候，天空中同时出现了10个太阳，庄稼被烤焦，草木被晒死，老百姓因为没有粮食而被饿死。同时，凿齿、九婴、大风、封、修蛇等怪兽，也出来为害人民。于是，尧就派遣大神后羿在畴华之野杀死了凿齿，在凶水之上杀死了九婴，在青丘之泽降服了大风，在洞庭湖畔斩杀了修蛇，在桑林擒住了封。消灭这些怪兽之后，后羿又把天上的太阳射下来了9个，只留下了一个。老百姓重新又过上了安定的日子