Based on the recurrent theme of absent or uncaring father/
father figure, rivalry between women, the ability to overcome obstacles,
rewards, magical assistance, and mythical elements, Yeh-Shen is one of my favorite Cinderella
versions to date!!!! I remember as a
child reading the story of a magical fish.
I adored reading that story over and over. Not until I was an adult studying children’s
literature did I learn that story was one of the first Cinderella stories ever
written!
In discovering the history of Yeh-Shen I found a great
website (http://chinesestoryonline.com/fairy-tale/56-chinese-cinderella.html)
that discusses Chinese stories. Here I learned that in 850 A.D, during the
Tang dynasty, a famous poet, writer, and
government official , Duan Cheng Shi, published a collection of stories he had
gathered throughout his entire life. In
“Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang”
Duan Cheng Shi retold the story of Ye Xian (also known as
Yeh-Shen). He apparently heard of this
mythical legend from his servant Li Shi Yuan.
What I find fascinating is how many of the elements from
this story are found in the other versions of the story. This version
contains an evil stepmother and half-sister that resent her for her beauty,
intelligence, and skills. There is a benefactor
that provides her with special shoes that then gains the attention of a young
king. She is the only one to fit in the
shoes (since her feet are so small) and thus she marries the young king. There are those that believe foot binding
came into fashion because of this story, although the custom did not begin
until a century later. 
For myself there are several aspects of the story that
always caught my fancy. I loved the idea
that she gained comfort in talking to a beautiful fish. I love my cat, Sparta. I gain comfort in how she curls up on my hip
at night to sleep. When I am upset she senses
my unease and won’t leave me alone, which inevitably helps me calm down. There is nothing better than a warm body
snuggled up to you letting you know they love you. Okay, so a fish is not warm and couldn’t give
Yeh-Shen physical comfort. It DID provide
her with a way to pour out her inner-most feelings!
When her stepmother catches the fish and serves it as supper my
heart breaks for Yeh-Shen. I understand
her feelings of loss, and am overjoyed when she is told by a poor beggar man
tells her, "Don't cry", he said, "I know
where the fish bones were buried. You go there, dig them out, keep them
secretly. When you are in bad need, you could pray to the bones which would
give you what you want. But memorize, don't be greedy, otherwise, you will be
punished by the God." The aspect of
waste-not, want-not is something that is an important aspect of Chinese
culture.
Although
the ending is a bit of a let-down – she marries the king and her stepmother and
sister are killed in a rock slide – it still stays with the theme that good
overcomes evil!
Return
tomorrow for a lesson on Chinese culture!!!
Resources:
Wu, H. &
Han, R. (2012) Chinese Cinderella Yeh-Xian Retrieved January 25, 2012 from
http://chinesestoryonline.com/fairy-tale/56-chinese-cinderella.html
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