THE SOUL OF THE GREAT BELL: A Reflection
The Son of Heaven had
instructed an official Kouan-Yu to create a bell that would be heard for one
hundred li. Kouan-Yu and his laborers worked hard to finish the bell. They
showed it to the Son of Heaven but the Son of Heaven was disappointed for the
metals failed to mix with each other. They tried and worked harder for the
second bell but it was the same. The Son of Heaven was frustrated and ordered
the death of Kouan-Yu if he cannot produce the bell on his third try.
Ko-Ngai, daughter of Kouan-Yu was afraid of his father's fate so she had consulted an astrologer to help his father. The astrologer advised that it will only be successful if a maiden will be melted into the crucible. So on the day of the third casting of the bell, she leapt in the crucible. Kouan-Yu was devasted however, everyone was surprised because the bell turned out to be more beautiful than the Son of Heaven had wished for.
Ko-Ngai, daughter of Kouan-Yu was afraid of his father's fate so she had consulted an astrologer to help his father. The astrologer advised that it will only be successful if a maiden will be melted into the crucible. So on the day of the third casting of the bell, she leapt in the crucible. Kouan-Yu was devasted however, everyone was surprised because the bell turned out to be more beautiful than the Son of Heaven had wished for.
Intro:
The soul of the Great Bell
is a chinese legend by Lafcadio Hearn. This is a heartbreaking story. It is
about how the child sacrificed for her parent. This story is from the past but
we can still apply the lessons from the present.
This blog is not only
about the story, it also include my opinion and the information about the
Chinese’ tradition and culture.
Body:
In the story, Yung-Lo is the one
who commanded Kouan-Yu to make a bell. According to google.com, Yung-Lo is the
man who became the third ruler of China’s Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as Emperor
Yongle (Yung-Lo) (meaning “lasting joy”).
Yung-Lo is the one who commanded
Kouan-Yu to make a bell that can be heard in the entire city of Peking.
For around ten
centuries, successive generations of Chinese women endured a practice when, as
children, their feet were systematically broken and shaped in such a way that
they resembled hooves. The tradition, known as foot binding, eventually came to
symbolize China’s backwardness, a relic from the country’s distant past. Foot
binding was seen as sign of beauty and preparation for marriage. When a girl
was of marriageable age, the mothers of marriageable age men would come to her
home to check the size of her feet. If a girl wanted a wealthy husband, she had
to have a tiny feet.
 |
| FOOT BINDING |
For me, you don’t have to have a tiny feet to be beautiful because
beauty isn’t about the physical appearance, it about having a good heart.
Ko-ngai,
a beautiful daughter of Kouan-Yu, loved her father so much that she had to
refuse a hundred worthy suitors. It showed how she really loved her father.
The part when
Kouan-Yu didn’t succeed in making the bell, he got a letter that is sealed with
a Dragon-Seal from Yung-Lo. The emperors of China were identified as the sons
of Dragons. In fact, the flag of China is a dragon.
 |
| DRAGON SEAL |
After Ko-ngai
sacrificed her life for the sake of her father’s life, the bell was
successfully made. Until know, the bell that already lived for how many years
is still present in the temple known as Beijing Big Bell Temple. And the city
of Peking is now called Beijing, capital city of China.
Conclusion:
The story taught us that love is fair. It about
unconditional love. Ko-ngai’s father also taught us not to give up when he didn’t
give up in making the bell.
References:
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