Today, I’d like to tell you a very classic Chinese mythological story, “Carp Jumping Over Dragon Gate”. It is a story full of wisdom and inspiration, about how a group of young carp, through bravery, unity and perseverance, finally leap over the Dragon’s Gate Bridge and begin a new chapter of happy lives. This story is not only suitable for children to listen to, but also for adults to draw strength from.
1. The carp’s dream: it all starts with the story of the turtle
Once upon a time, in a clear stream, there lived a group of lively and cute animals: little carps, seahorses, octopus sisters, and a kind turtle grandfather. Every evening, the turtle grandfather would tell the animals stories, and this day, he told a magical legend.
“Children, do you know? At the place where the river meets the sea, there is a towering dragon gate,” said Grandpa Turtle slowly. ‘It is said that if any carp can jump over this dragon gate, it will turn into a mighty dragon!”
“Wow, a dragon!’ the young seahorse exclaimed excitedly, ”that must be really awesome!”
“Yes!” the octopus sister continued, ‘I heard that the big dragon is surrounded by colorful clouds, and wherever it flies, it leaves behind a beautiful rainbow. How I wish I could meet the big dragon!”
At that moment, a small golden carp swam over, its eyes shining brightly. ’If I try to jump over the Dragon Gate, will you support me?”
The octopus girl replied with a smile: “Of course! If you really can become a dragon, we’ll definitely become best friends!”
The little golden carp was overjoyed: ‘Okay, I’ll give it a try!”
The other little carp responded: ’We’ll go too! We’ll work together!”
So the little carp set off on a journey to find the Dragon Gate.
2. On the way to the Dragon Gate: Challenges and help
The little carp form a line and swim towards the legendary Dragon Gate. The golden carp take the lead, jumping out of the water again and again in an attempt to find the Dragon Gate. However, they swim for a long time without finding any clues.
Along the way, an accident occurs. A red carp gets its tail entangled in the waterweed. It cries out in desperation, “Oh no, what should I do? I can’t move, I can’t go to the Dragon Gate anymore!”
Just then, a swordfish happened to pass by. After listening to the red carp’s sob story, it immediately used its sharp mouth to cut the waterweed. “Don’t worry, keep going! I believe you can succeed!” the swordfish encouraged.
The red carp regained its freedom and said gratefully to the swordfish, “Thank you! We will work even harder!”
After saying goodbye to the swordfish, the little carp continued on their journey. They swam through a deep stretch of water and came to a huge bridge opening. On the other side of the opening was a thick stone wall. It looked like a bridge, but there was no opening.
“There’s no way through here. What should we do?” The red carp was a little frustrated.
The golden carp calmed down and suggested, ”Everyone wait a minute, I’ll go up and have a look.”
He swam up to the surface, took a good look around and then had an idea: “Maybe this is the Dragon Gate! It’s pretty high, but we can figure out how to jump across together!”
Just as they were discussing how to jump, a swallow flew over. The little gold carp hurriedly asked, ‘Swallow, is this the Dragon Gate?”
The swallow giggled, ’No, this is the Dragon Gate Bridge, but it’s not far from the real Dragon Gate!”
Hearing this, the little carp cheered and their confidence grew.
3. Jumping the Dragon Gate: the power of teamwork
The little golden carp decided to take the lead and try to jump the Dragon Gate. It leapt out of the water again and again, but each time it failed because it wasn’t high enough. Just as it was about to give up, a wave suddenly lifted it higher.
Inspired, the golden carp had a brainwave and came up with a new plan: “Friends, we can work together! One carp jumps first, and when it is about to fall, another carp jumps up and pushes the first one higher!”
Following this method, the carp took turns to cooperate, and finally one after another crossed the dragon gate. In the end, the golden carp also successfully jumped over with the help of the waves.
4. A beautiful new world: the joy of a dream come true
After crossing the Dragon Gate, the little carp find themselves in a whole new world. The water is as calm as a mirror, and the shore is lined with willows and peach trees. The pink peach blossoms are in full bloom, and the view is like a painting. There are also neat houses nearby, each with a flagpole in front of it, with red flags fluttering in the wind.
What’s even more amazing is that when night falls, the surface of the water is dotted with stars, as if the Milky Way had spilled onto the earth. The swallow tells them, “These lights come from the legendary night pearl, the most precious gem in the world.”
The little carps are overjoyed, jumping happily in the water and admiring the beauty they have never seen before. They exclaim, ”This place is really beautiful, even more beautiful than what Grandpa Turtle described!”
To share their joy, the golden little carp asked the swallow for help: “Please tell Grandpa Turtle that we have successfully jumped over the Dragon Gate Bridge! We hope he will come and see this place too, and we will give him the biggest night pearl!”
The swallow laughed and said, ‘But this is just the Dragon Gate Bridge, not the real Dragon Gate.”
The little carp didn’t mind, and they all laughed together, ’It doesn’t matter! As long as we work hard, we will find the real Dragon Gate one day!”
5. The moral of the story: Perseverance is victory
Dear children, after listening to this story, were you also impressed by the courage and perseverance of the little carp?
Although the Longmen Bridge is not the real Dragon Gate as legend has it, with their perseverance and team spirit, the little carp eventually overcame the difficulties and saw an unprecedentedly beautiful scenery. This spirit is worth learning.
In life, we will encounter all kinds of challenges, and sometimes we may feel that our goals are unattainable. But if we are like the little carp, we will keep believing, keep trying, and know how to work together, then even if we cannot realize our dreams immediately, we will be able to grow and be happy.
So no matter what difficulties we face, we should never give up. Remember: every effort is a step towards success!
