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Long, long ago, Nüwa, the youngest daughter of the Yan Emperor, was endlessly curious about the world.
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She loved the sea more than anything; she would always sit on the shore listening to the waves, chase passing sailors, and ask about the world that lay beyond the horizon.
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She made every safety preparation she could: she put on a life vest made of dried gourds, tied her safety rope tight, and earnestly promised to follow all instructions. Finally, she earned her father’s permission to set sail out to sea.
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The white sails were raised, and the voyage went perfectly at first. A gentle breeze rippled across the sea, and Nüwa stared at the glistening waves, so happy that she lost all track of time.
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But at noon, the weather changed in an instant. Dark clouds blotted out the sun in the blink of an eye, the calm sea churned up towering waves, and a raging howling wind swept across the water.
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The sailors fought desperately to steer the boat back to shore, but a huge wave crashed into the ship. In the pouring rain, Nüwa was swept away by the fierce, rushing current.
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After the storm passed, villagers searched the coastline for days. The only thing they found was Nüwa’s red scarf, half-buried in the sand. The Yan Emperor held his daughter’s only keepsake, his heart broken beyond measure.
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To stop the same tragedy from ever happening again, the Yan Emperor ordered tall weather vanes to be erected along the coast. He gathered all the village children together to teach them essential sea safety rules.
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Not long after, a peculiar little bird perched on a branch by the shore. It had a patterned head, a white beak, and red feet, and it always cried out “Jingwei! Jingwei!”.
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Jingwei stared out at the sea for a long time, then picked up a small twig in its beak and dropped it into the water. The next day, it flew back carrying a small stone from Fajiu Mountain. It wanted to mark all the dangerous stretches of sea.
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At first, the other birds couldn’t make sense of what it was doing. A seagull said the waves would wash everything away, and a chickadee said the journey was far too long. But Jingwei told them even the smallest act could save a life.
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Jingwei flew back and forth tirelessly every day, and the village children were deeply moved by its devotion. They came to the shore to stack markers, plant small trees, and hang wind chimes that would warn of coming storms.
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Soon the adults joined in too. They built their fishing boats sturdier than ever, stocked up on enough rescue ropes, and set a rule: no one was ever allowed to sail out to sea alone.
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Jingwei dropped all the twigs and stones it carried into bamboo baskets on the shore, and the whole community worked together to build a breakwater. Artisans studied the currents, and before long, they had created a small, sheltered bay where the water stayed calm even in rough weather.
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The Eastern Sea whispered to Jingwei that it never meant to hurt anyone, and that the power of nature must always be respected. Jingwei finally let go of its old obsession, and learned to understand the language of the tides.
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When a huge new storm rolled in, the warning wind chimes rang early. Every boat took shelter in the bay, the breakwater softened the force of the waves, and this time, not a single person went missing.
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The Yan Emperor had a statue of Jingwei erected next to the newly built lighthouse. It was not a monument to defeating the sea, but a reminder of love, learning, and responsibility.
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Jingwei kept flying every day, guiding migrating birds and telling fishing boats which way the wind would blow. It became the eternal guardian of the coast.
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Years later, a child asked if Jingwei had ever filled in the sea. The elders said it had used its small, steady acts to bridge the gap between grief and hope.
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This story teaches us that if we respect nature and stand together, even the smallest force can create miracles, and wholehearted persistence always matters.