The Chinese legend of the butterfly lovers - Lijun Zhang

1,778,147 views ・ 2022-03-24

TED-Ed


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:08
Adjusting her disguise, Zhu Yingtai prepared to bid her parents goodbye.
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She had always been a dutiful daughter— staying home
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and creating works of embroidery that brought her parents pride.
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00:19
And yet, although only boys were allowed at the Confucius Academy in Hangzhou,
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what Yingtai truly wanted was to go to school.
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She begged her parents to let her attend dressed as a boy
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and, seeing her determination and clever disguises, they finally agreed.
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00:34
However, they only gave her permission when she promised
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to keep her true identity a secret
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and eventually return to the traditional path they’d set for her.
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00:44
Elated, Yingtai began her journey to Hangzhou.
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On the way, she found herself at a crossroads,
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unsure which route to take when a young man approached.
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As their eyes met, they shared an instant connection.
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Yingtai learned that his name was Liang Shanbo,
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00:59
and that he’d be her classmate at the academy,
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01:02
so they walked the rest of the way together, rapt in conversation.
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01:06
Yingtai realized that, despite her meticulous disguise,
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01:09
she felt that she could finally be herself.
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01:11
The two decided to celebrate what they thought would be
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a long, close friendship, and became sworn brothers.
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01:17
At the academy, Yingtai buried herself in books
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01:20
and studied with Shanbo late into the nights.
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01:23
The two felt at home so long as they were at each other’s sides.
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01:26
They shared a room, but even though Shanbo questioned her about it,
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Yingtai always used the bathroom alone
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and buttoned her thick robes up to her chin— no matter the weather.
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Now and again, Yingtai heard students muttering about her secretive behavior.
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01:41
As months slipped into years, Yingtai continued to excel at her studies
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and felt like her past— and intended future—were lifetimes away.
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Yet the whispers grew louder.
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And after three years, she had no choice but to leave.
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Parting tearfully, Yingtai asked Shanbo to visit her.
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02:00
When Yingtai returned home,
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her parents announced that the Ma family from the neighboring village
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had sent a matchmaker to ask their permission
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for Yingtai to marry their son.
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They’d found it a fitting match and accepted.
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02:12
Trying to hide her disappointment, Yingtai honored their agreement.
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02:15
But as she prepared for another new life, she thought of Shanbo.
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02:20
Meanwhile, he too was distracted— his studies dull without Yingtai near.
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When Shanbo finally visited Yingtai’s house,
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he came upon a young woman.
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He was about to ask for her brother,
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but as their eyes met, he recognized the young scholar he’d always loved.
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Shanbo knew he couldn’t stand being separated from Yingtai again
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and asked her to marry him.
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But, heartbroken, Yingtai told him that she was already promised to another.
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Shanbo was devastated, but he understood that Yingtai had to abide
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by her parents’ wishes, and they parted again.
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Shanbo fell ill and grew weaker by the day.
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Worried, his family sent a matchmaker to the Zhu family.
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03:00
But, because of Yingtai’s current engagement,
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her father refused the proposal.
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Doing otherwise would bring their family public shame.
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Shanbo’s Illness took a turn for the worse
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and, sensing he wouldn’t live to see her married,
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Shanbo wrote Yingtai a final letter.
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If Yingtai loved him, he asked that she burn incense
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in front of his tomb when she was on her way to the Ma family.
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When Yingtai’s wedding day came, it also felt like a funeral.
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03:25
As the procession wound through town under stormy skies,
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Yingtai broke off and knelt in front of Shanbo’s tomb,
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lighting incense and offering sacrifices through her tears.
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Suddenly, a clap of thunder sounded above
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and a lightning bolt shot through the tomb,
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fracturing the stone.
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Without hesitation, Yingtai threw herself in.
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As her parents rushed to rescue their daughter,
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two butterflies fluttered out of the crack.
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This time, Yingtai had transformed for good.
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03:54
Finally free, she could float forever with Shanbo at her side.
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