Heritage
The story of Dong Yong and the Seventh Immortal Maiden
(chinaculture.org)
Updated: 2006-11-21 14:46
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Year: 2006
Sort: Folk Literature
Area: Shanxi, Jiangsu, Henan, Hubei province
Serial No.: Ⅰ-9
Declarer: Wangrong county, Shanxi province, Dongtai city, Jiangsu province, Wuzhi county, Henan province, Xiaogan city, Hubei province
Dong Yong legend is a well-known love story between a goddess and a mortal. The Jade Emperor of Heaven has seven daughters, the youngest of whom is the ravishingly beautiful Seventh Fairy Maiden, who daringly flees down to the human world to help a poor farmer-Dong Yong, an honest and kind-hearted serf. Then, they fall in love with each other, so they get married, in defiance of the Jade Emperor. She makes the cruel landlord shorten Dong Yong's three years' indenture to 100 days, but gods are forbidden to love mortals, so the Jade Emperor has her snatched back to heaven, breaking up the happy couple.
The Dong Yong legend is very popular in the rural areas of China. Since the 20th century, the story has always been a theme of popular literature and film.
In its 2,000 years of being passed down from generation to generation, the story has mixed with the life of the local people and has formed the basis of some local legends. There are also things named after Dong Yong, such as a stele, village and other areas. Wangrong county in Shanxi province，Dongtai city in Jiangsu province，Wuzhi county in Henan province, Xiaogan city in Hubei province all have records claiming that Dong Yong was a resident.
