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Unit 7 Storytelling
Lesson 27
Exercise 1.2
Tiger shoes are often fond on babies' feet
in the contryside of China today,
just like they were in the past.
The shoes are made of cloth and the front of
them is made into a tiger's head.
The tradition of tiger shoes comes from a
Chinese folktale about Yang,
his beautiful wife,and their son.
Long ago, in the famous old town Yangzhou,
there was a boatman called Yang who
was very generous and willing to help others.
One day he got an old picture from
one of his passengers.
In this picture,
a beautiful woman was making
a pair of tiger shoes.
The boatman was very happy with the gift.
He liked the picture so much
that he put it on the wall above his bed
as soon as he got home.
One evening, the woman in the picture
stepped out of the picture.
She fell in love with Yang
and they got married.
They had a happy life together,
and soon they had a son who brought much joy
to the family.
Although they were happy, things soon changed.
The magic picture was taken away
by the town official
who had heard about the beautiful woman.
The official put the picture on the wall
above his bed,
but the woman never came down.
The son missed his mother
and often cried for her.
Yang told him that his mother had gone
far away to the west.
The son insisted on looking for his mother,
even though he knew it was very difficult.
He traveled day and night,
and in the end,he found his mother in a forest.
"My son, you are so brave!" said the mother.
"Mom, let's go home. I missed you so much."
"I can't go back until you take the picture
from the town official.
You have to go into the official's bedroom
and bring it home.
Take the pair of tiger shoes I made for you.
You'll need them.
Now close your eyes and I'll send you home."
Within a second, the son was at home.
He put on his tiger shoes
and went to the official's home.
He told the official
that he could make the beautiful woman
come down from the picture.
The official was so excited that he
led the boy into his bedroom immediately.
As soon as the boy saw his mother,
he spoke to the picture,"Mom, let's go!"
The beautiful woman stepped out of the picture.
The official tried very hard to stop them,
but suddenly the tiger shoes turned into
a large tiger.
The tiger jumped at the official,
and the mother and son were able to escape.
The son brought his mother back home
and the family was able to live together
happily ever after.
Since then, people have made tiger shoes for
their own children in order to protect them
and their families.
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