Care for children's enterprising moral story - Enlighten wisdom and open thinking

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Story of Learning from Handan in Ancient Times
Once in the ancient state of Yan, there was a young man named Shouling. He was not fond of studying but instead cared more about his appearance. One morning, he put on his splendid silk clothes as usual and proudly walked out the door. The streets were bustling with activity, and the young man strutted forward with an air of arrogance, his head held high and chest puffed out. The passersby couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a handsome young man! His attire is so luxurious, and his demeanor so elegant!” “Yes, his posture is perfect—his walk is unlike anyone else’s!”
Hearing these compliments, the young man grew even more proud. Suddenly, a voice came from the crowd, “I don’t think his posture is perfect at all! I once visited Handan, the capital of Zhao, where the people have refined manners and exceptionally graceful walks.” The young man wondered, “Is that really true? The saying goes, ‘Seeing is believing.’ I must go to Handan to see for myself.”
The young man traveled a great distance to Handan. Too tired to rest, he stood on the street and carefully observed the people around him. He noticed that the streets were filled with people of all ages, and their walking styles were all light and graceful—like beautiful dances compared to the people of Shouling. “I must learn this walk before I go home!” he resolved. He checked into an inn and practiced the steps in his room: stepping with the left foot while raising the right hand; stepping with the right foot while raising the left hand; twisting his waist slightly and lifting his head gently.
However, after a short while, he forgot which foot to step with or whether to raise his hand or head. He stumbled around the room and accidentally tripped over a chair, falling flat on his face! Getting up, he rubbed the big bump on his head and said, “This walk is really difficult to learn! I won’t give up—I must practice more to succeed!”
A month passed, and the young man practiced every day but made little progress. Frowning, he thought, “What’s going on here? Ah, I see—I’m too accustomed to my old way of walking, so I can’t master the new one.” To learn the Handan walk properly, he decided to abandon his old walking style and imitate the Handan people exactly.
On the street, he tried to copy their steps perfectly. However, the people’s walks varied: some had wide steps, some had quick, small steps; some hurried, while others moved slowly. The young man didn’t care and imitated whoever he saw. He sometimes took big, wobbly steps, running forward clumsily, and other times slowed down, shuffling forward painstakingly. As a result, he grew even more confused, unable to even learn how to raise his hands or take proper steps, let alone achieve an elegant posture.
Exhausted, he collapsed to the ground, sighing, “Alas, the Handan walk is too difficult to learn. I should just go home!” But by then, he had forgotten his old way of walking and stumbled every two steps, falling and bruising himself badly. In the end, the young man had to crawl on the ground, slowly making his way home.