Ancient Chinese Stories:The Old Tale Of The Black Bear Rescuing The Old Man

黑熊救命

Hey everyone welcome back to the ancient Chinese Stories blog. Today’s tale is supposedly an ancient tale from norhtern China passed down from generation to generation. The ancient story is called The Black Bear Rescues A Life. This ancient Chinese story for today I will be translating from Chinese into English myself. and the story itself will be coming from my Chinese Textbook that I was using in my last year of college. Enjoy the ancient Chinese story everyone.

——–

Once upon a time in the early spring, in the northern mountain lands of China, a tale had begun to spread-the tale of the black bear who saved Lao He’s life.

On that day, Lao He was on his way back home, traveled over 30 li on the road and kept traveling until he arrived to an ice sealed rivers. As he was thinking about continuing on the path, he suddenly heard all around him the ice beginning to crack; now he wanted to turn back but it was already too late and he fell through into the frozen river Both of his hands clinged on to the ices edge as he desperately tried to climb out but the ice continued cracking quicker and quicker and he was so low on energy he began to lose consciousness…

Just then a sound resembling the cry of an animal came to Lao He’s ears calling out：he felt his body being dragged out of the river. Not so shortly after, he passed out…

As the sun set over the mountain, Lao He gradually began to regain consciousness, and realized he was lying down next to the river on top of a dirt bank, he began to wonder how is it he arrived there since he could not remember how he was pulled out from the river. At that time, He saw only two black bears not so far from him sitting and they were looking at him. Only on their heads was there sine white fur under their mouth’s and they were still were still howling to him non stop.

“Ah, it was Xiao Bai (little white)! It must have been both xiao bai and its mother who rescued me!” Lao He anxiously sat upright: waving to them he yelled out, “Xiao Bai! Xiao Bai!” Those two white mouthed black bears, suddenly ran away fast….

3 years after that day, Lao He was working on the mountain, when he suddenly heard from the center of the mountain some animal crying out; so he picked up his axe and went to the sound. With a head over two feet long,  it was a small black bear and its forehead was covered in long white fur: one of its back legs was trapped under a stone. He could still see the head of a large black bear walking around and turning its head, reluctant to leave it stayed close to the back of the stone and stayed near a nearby tree in the forest. Once Xiao Bai saw a person, it got even scarder and began to desperately screaming trying to pull its leg out…Lao He squatted down and slowly moved towards the bear. Using his axe, he broke the stone into fragments which the bears leg was trapped by and freed its leg. But it only took a few steps and it was in such pain that it sat down. Lao He immediately carried Xiao Bai back to his home and carefully put some pit some medicine onto Xiao Bai’s leg and the terrible pain stopped. The little bear began to recognize him and began to understand what was happening: it looked up and slowly walked over to the edge of the kang. Under Lao He’s care and treatment, it was not long until all of the little bear’s pain was and slowly was able to walk again. When Lao He cooked, the little bear would not leave his side: when he went to work on the mountain, the little bear would also always be close to his side. Lao He really liked the little bear, and called it by the name of, “Xiao Bai.”

One evening, Xiao Bai’s mother came into the courtyard woefully calling. Xiao Bai excitedly realized it and ran out. Lao He understood: the mother bear came to take her child, so he immediately opened the door and took Xiao Bai out to her. Since then a few days had passed and Lao He didn’t see Xiao Bai, and Lao He extremely missed it.

About 5 days later one evening, Lao He was sleeping when he woke up to the cry of an animal. He excitedly got to the door and through the moonlight looked outside; Xiao Bai had returned. Lao He excitedly cooked some grains for Xiao Bai who ate its fill and then jumped onto the kang where it once slept and began to sleep once more. Since then Xiao Bai has become Lao He’s outside guest, every time Xiao Bai comes, Lao He let’s Xiao Bai eat to its content. If for a long time it would not come,  Lao He would put food outside for both Xiao Bai and its mother: over a long time, Lao He would always stay best friends with the two black bears.

Today, Lao He never even dreamed or thought that in his life, in the most dangerous time, that Xiao Bai and it’s mother would be the ones to save him.

——-

So that was today’s ancient Chinese story. If you do ask southern Chinese people of this tale, no one really ever has heard of it, but I have asked some northern Chinese of these stories and about a third of the people had an idea as to what it was. I chose to leave his name as Lao He rather than constantly saying old man He. For those of you who do not know, in ancient times in China, they would use the Kang which is a brick bed to keep warm in the winter because you could heat some of the bricks helping keep warm in areas where weather can get freezing such as Ji Lin. Now, the kang is no longer used in many parts thanks to heating technology. I am not sure when exactly this particular story began to come into existence but from what I understand, it is not too old of a Chinese story but it does come from the Ming dynasty.

Before I end todays story post I wish to say I will only be writing occasionally the ancient Chinese stories for the blog, but any who have concerns are free to contact me.  Till the next story everyone.