Long ago, there were no rivers and lakes on earth, there was only the East Sea, which was occupied by four dragons: the Long Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon. One day four dragons fly from the sea to the sky.
They played among the clouds, jumping and diving, also playing in hide and seek. "Hey, guys! Come here quick!" Dragon Pearl shouted suddenly. "What is wrong?" asked the other three dragons, looking down toward where the Dragon Pearl pointed. On earth they see many people put fruits and cakes, and burn incense. They are praying! A white-haired woman, carrying a thin child on her back, kneels on the ground while mumbling, "Duhai Langit, please send the rain as soon as possible, we need rice to feed our children.
" It had been a long time since there was no rain. The plants wither, the grass turns yellow and the soil cracks in the sun. "What a pity these guys are!" said the Yellow Dragon. "And they will die if it does not rain soon." The Long Dragon nodded. Then he suggested, "Let us go and plead the Heavenly Emperor in order to bring down the rain.
" The Long Dragon then precedes his comrades darting, followed by the others and flying to the Heavenly Palace. As to be responsible for all affairs in heaven, on earth and at sea, the Heavenly Emperor is very strong. He did not seem happy to see the dragons hurrying in. "Why do not you come here instead of staying at sea as instructed to you?" The Naga Panjang stepped forward and said, "Plants on the earth many withered and died, Your Majesty, On behalf of the inhabitants of the earth, I beg you to send rain down now!" "All right, you go, I'll send you rain tomorrow.
" The Jade Emperor pretended to agree while listening to the songs of the fairies. The four dragons replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" The four dragons went happily. But ten days passed, there was not a drop of rain. People are even more miserable. No food left. They eat whatever is encountered, the grassroots, bark and so on. The dragons saw all this, and felt very sad. They know that the Jade Emperor only cares about pleasure, and never feels sorry for these people. They feel they have to help the people of the earth who are more and more miserable. But how? Looking at the vast sea, Naga Panjang had an idea.
"Look, there's a lot of water in the ocean where we live, we can move the water to the clouds in the sky, then the water will be like raindrops and down to save the people and their plants," said the Long Dragon. "Good idea!" another word. "But," said the Long Dragon, "we can be punished if the Jade Emperor knows about this." "I will do anything to save people," said the Dragon Kuning firmly. "Then let's get started," said the Long Dragon. The Black Dragon and Dragon Pearl do not want to lose and soon join. They fly into the sea, scoop up water in their mouths, and then fly back into the sky, where water is moved to the clouds. Four dragons flew back and forth, causing a dark sky around him. Soon the sea water became heavy rain down from the sky. "Rain! Rain! We're safe!" people are crying and jumping with joy. On the ground, wheat stems and stems sorghum back upright. The grasses are back green. Rice in the fields again abundant water. The sea gods knew of this event and reported it to the Jade Emperor.
"How dare the four dragons make rain without my permission!" said the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor was angry, and ordered the heavenly generals and their troops to capture four dragons. Far out in numbers, the four dragons were unable to resist, and they were immediately captured and taken back to the heavenly palace. "Take them and put them in four mountains and do not let them escape!" The Jade Emperor commanded the God of the Mountain.
The God of the Mountain uses the power of magic to fly four great mountains on earth, and lower them above each dragon. But the dragons never regretted their actions. Determined to do good for people forever, they transformed themselves into four rivers, which flow through high mountains and valleys, across land from west to east and eventually empty into the sea.
Thus the four great rivers of China - the Heilongjian (Black Dragon) to the north, the Huanghe (Yellow River) in central China, the Changjiang (Yangtze, or Long River) to the south, and Zhujiang (Pearls) far south.