The Golden Crow

Long ago, in ancient China, there were ten suns in the sky. These suns were the children of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven. Each sun was a golden crow with shining, fiery feathers. They lived in a giant mulberry tree called the Fusang Tree, far in the east.

Every day, one of the ten suns would travel across the sky in a chariot driven by their mother, Xihe, the goddess of the sun. This brought light and warmth to the earth, helping plants grow and people thrive. The other nine suns would stay in the Fusang Tree, waiting for their turn.

But one day, the ten suns grew bored. They decided to play together and all rise into the sky at the same time. The heat from ten suns was unbearable! The rivers dried up, the crops withered, and the land turned into a desert. The people and animals suffered greatly.

The Jade Emperor saw the chaos on earth and knew he had to act. He called upon Hou Yi, the greatest archer in the world, to solve the problem. Hou Yi was given a magical bow and arrows made of divine materials. He climbed to the highest mountain and shot down nine of the suns, leaving only one to light the world.

The last sun, frightened by what had happened, hid behind the mountains and refused to come out. The earth grew cold and dark. The people begged for light and warmth to return.

Finally, a wise old man suggested that a rooster should call the sun every morning. The rooster, with its loud and cheerful crow, sang to the sun, promising to protect it and guide it safely across the sky. The sun, reassured by the rooster's call, rose again, bringing light and warmth to the world.

From that day on, the golden crow (the last sun) travelled across the sky each day, and the rooster became its loyal companion, crowing every morning to announce the sun's arrival.