Lord of the Cranes

Once upon a time Tian, the Lord of the Cranes, decides to leave his home, high in the mountains, up in the clouds, and fly down to the city. He wishes to test the compassion of the people there. Dressed in rags, he goes begging for alms, but only one man, the innkeeper, Wang, offers him hospitality. Tian rewards Wang with a miraculous gift, which brings fame and fortune to the innkeeper; in return, Wang vows to help the Lord of the Cranes with his special mission. The painter, Jian Jiang Chen, knows this folktale from his childhood in China. He heard it from an elderly man who told stories accompanied by a violin – a common form of entertainment at that time, when so few Chinese had televisions. Retold here by his wife Kerstin, it is a haunting and uplifting tale of virtue rewarded.