The legend of Xi Shi and pearls

Pearls have been used by humans for thousands of years. Legend has it that she is the incarnation of Xi Shi.

Xi Shi was originally the apple of Chang'e's eye in the Moon Palace. She was ordered by the Jade Emperor to come down to earth to save the people of Wu and Yue from the suffering of years of war. The pearl is her incarnation.

It turns out that Fairy Chang'e has a big sparkling pearl, which is very cute. She often holds it in the palm of her hand and plays with it. Normally, she orders a colorful golden rooster to guard it day and night, lest it be lost. The Golden Rooster also had a desire to play with the pearl for a long time. When Chang'e was not prepared, he secretly held the pearl in his mouth, hid behind the moon palace and started to admire it, throwing the pearl up and down, which was really fun. But accidentally, the pearl rolled down from the moon palace and flew straight to the world. The golden rooster was frightened, and in order to escape punishment, he also chased towards the human world.

After Chang'e learned the news, she quickly ordered the Jade Rabbit to chase the Golden Rooster. The Jade Rabbit passed through the clouds in the sky and chased directly over the Puyang River in Zhuji, Zhejiang. On this day, the wife of a farmer surnamed Shi on the hillside by the Puyang River was washing yarn by the Puyang River. Suddenly she saw a dazzling pearl in the water. She hurriedly stretched out her hand to fish it out, but the pearl flew straight into her mouth as if it had wings. , and penetrated into the abdomen. Shi’s wife seemed to be pregnant from then on.

Sixteen months later, the woman felt unbearable abdominal pain, but she could not give birth. Her husband was so anxious that he knelt down and prayed to God. Suddenly one day I saw a colorful golden rooster falling from the sky and landing on the roof. Suddenly the room was filled with pearls. Just at this moment, there was a "wow" sound, and Shi's wife gave birth to a glorious and beautiful girl, named Xi Shi. Therefore, there is a saying that "when a mother bathes in silk fabrics in a stream, pearls ejaculate into her body and she becomes pregnant."

After Xi Shi grew up and resolved the hatred between Wu and Yue, she turned into a pearl and stayed in the world, continuing to contribute to the health, longevity and beauty of the people of Liming. Since then, Zhuji has become the hometown of cultured pearls for generations and is famous both at home and abroad. This legend has a history of more than 2,500 years.