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Sima Guang Broke Ceramic Water Vat


Sima Guang was a renowned historian during the North Song dynasty and compiled the monumental Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government. There is a folktale that Sima Guang broke a great ceramic container where a boy was drowning.

When Sima Guang was eight years old, a group of boys were playing happily in a garden where there were many water vats. Suddenly a boy fell into a vat.

All other boys ran away except for Sima Guang. He thought he should help the drowning boy. But he was too small and the vat was too large. Then he had a good idea. He found a big rock and used all his force to break the bottom of the water container open. The water flushed out of the vat, and the boy was saved.

As a young boy, he dealt with the emergency like a grown up, how clever he was.

This folktale is called SIMA GUANG DA PO GANG in Chinese, which could simply be a play on his name for rhyming, or a twist of tongue.
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Anonymous said…
It's one of my favorite story when I was little... some 30 odd yrs ago, it has left a deep impact in my life. It has taught me not to run away from problems but stand up, face it and stand up under it. Thanks for sharing
26 June 2012 at 07:49
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