Once upon a time, there was a sculptor. He was renowned for his exceptional skill in his craft.
One day, a wealthy man needed a gift and sent for the sculptor. Upon his arrival, the sculptor saw that his employer lived in a palace, wore silk and satin, indulged in delicacies, and was surrounded by maidens and servants. Consumed by jealousy, the sculptor wished to become as wealthy himself. A fairy heard his wish and made him a rich man.
After some time, a high-ranking official set out on an inspection tour, traveling in a palanquin carried by his attendants. Wherever he went, he was always guarded and surrounded by vassals who cheered, beat drums, and gongs. People bowed and made way wherever he went. The path led him to the sculptor’s door. Fuming with newfound pride, the sculptor, feeling slighted, refused to bow, considering it a humiliation.
“I have just as many servants as he does! Why should I bow to him?” he said. Enraged by such rudeness, the official rebuked him and punished him with a fine. Punishment. Rising painfully, the sculptor said, “So, high-ranking officials are more powerful than the wealthy.” He then swore that his only desire was to become a high-ranking official.
The fairy heard his wish and transformed him into a high-ranking official. Following the example of officials, the sculptor strutted through his district and attracted the envy of all. One day, he arrived at a slope where he saw a group of beautiful, young girls. He lunged at them like a tiger at helpless prey. The girls screamed and called out, and in an instant, a crowd of Zhuang people rushed from all sides holding swords, axes, and hoes, shouting battle cries. They grabbed the sculptor and dragged him into the village. They didn’t let him go without a good beating.
Such a rough treatment by the people put an end to his misdeeds. “Officials, no matter how powerful, are nothing compared to the Zhuang people,” he said, wishing to become Zhuang again.
Once again, the fairy heard his wish and helped him transform. Every day he went to the slope with his people. He plowed and sowed From morning until dusk. It was summer, the sun was blazing like a fiery ball, scorching his back as he worked. In the bursts of intense heat, even birds and wild animals sought shelter deep in the mountains, and buffaloes buried themselves up to the neck in muddy water. Only the shining green rice seedlings stood upright, just like the Zhuang people. The stonemason concluded that the Sun is the driving force of the universe and began to dream of becoming the Sun himself.
The fairy heard his wish and he became the Sun in the sky. To everyone’s horror, he continued to scorch with the same fiery flames. However, a large cloud happened to pass by and shielded the earth from the Sun. “Well!”, sighed the stonemason. “Who would have thought that a cloud is stronger than the Sun?”
So now he wished to be a cloud. Once again, the fairy granted his wish and transformed him into a cloud freely drifting in the sky. What else could happen but for the wind to rise and break the cloud into pieces? “I didn’t know the wind was so powerful!”, the stonemason exclaimed with horror. “Allow me to become the wind, please.” The villa once again helped and turned him into a storm. He blew like a typhoon, uprooting trees and demolishing houses. While raging across the land, he suddenly encountered a rock. No matter how hard he blew, the rock stood immovable. “Not even the wind can move the rock,” thought the sculptor. “If I were a rock, no one would ever torment me again.”
The fairy immediately turned him into a rock. After some time, a group of sculptors arrived. They examined the rock, checked its solidity, and began to break it. Confused and frightened, the sculptor sought help from the fairy. “It would be best to be what you are,” said the fairy. And so, he became a sculptor once again.
Since then, he worked selflessly like never before and became an even faster and better master. Because of his skills, people often sought his services. As time passed, he became very well-known, and everyone in his area respected him as a great sculptor.”
from the collection of Chinese Fairy Tales, 1989. [builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]