Meng Jiang's Tears: The Tale of Defiance and Love

Legend tells of an emperor who ordered the construction of an immense wall to protect his empire and secure his power. He commanded countless men from across China to leave their homes and labor relentlessly on this monumental project. As the years passed, many of these workers never returned to their families.

In a remote mountain village, the Mengs and their neighbors, the Jiangs, had not yet been forced into the emperor's service. One year, the Mengs grew gourds along their shared fence, and one gourd grew so large that it extended into the Jiang’s yard. The Jiangs cared for it, and when the harvest came, the two families decided to split it equally. But when they cracked the gourd open, they were astonished to find a beautiful baby inside, smiling up at them. Together, they named her Meng Jiang and agreed to raise her as their own.

Meng Jiang grew into a virtuous, joyful young woman, dedicated to caring for her elderly parents and their land. Yet, the turbulent world around her remained unchanged. One day, she found a young man hiding in the garden, desperate to avoid being conscripted into building the wall. His name was Fan Xiliang, and he was trying to escape the emperor’s soldiers to care for his elderly mother. The two quickly bonded, and not long after, they married.

However, their happiness was short-lived. When the emperor’s soldiers returned, they captured Fan Xiliang. For months, Meng Jiang waited, hoping for his safe return, but as winter approached, her fears grew. Determined to find him, she set out on a perilous journey, braving snow, winds, rivers, and mountains. Finally, she reached the wall's construction site, where thousands of workers toiled endlessly.

In the midst of the workers, Meng Jiang whispered her husband's name until one man recognized her. Tragically, he revealed that Fan Xiliang had recently died, his body believed to be buried beneath the wall along with countless others. Overcome with sorrow, Meng Jiang wept. Her tears filled the cracks of the wall, and as they soaked into the stone, whole sections of the wall crumbled and fell.

Furious, the emperor ordered that the one who had sabotaged his grand project be brought before him. When Meng Jiang was presented to him, her beauty and grace struck him. Rather than punishing her, the emperor suggested that she become one of his imperial concubines. Though desperate, Meng Jiang saw an opportunity to honor her late husband and humiliate the emperor. She agreed, but only on the condition that he give Fan Xiliang a grand funeral and attend it wearing the mourning attire befitting a father.

Reluctantly, the emperor arranged the funeral, and Meng Jiang said her final goodbye to her beloved. However, she refused to submit to the emperor’s proposal or face his punishment. Instead, she cast herself into the river, her grief as deep as the water itself, and disappeared beneath the surface, never to return.

Meng Jiang’s mysterious departure left behind the memory of her defiance, and her tears continued to flow as a reminder of her love, her virtue, and her unwavering spirit.