Little Wung Foo

Title

Little Wung Foo

Language

English

Year

1939

Subject

Short stories, Chinese

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

lune, 1939 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 199 Little Wung Foo WHEN Wung Foo was a boy - which was 30 or 40 years ago - he studied very hard at school, and if he learned as many as twenty-five new sign words h i s grandmother told Little Wung F.~o him stories in the evening. His father was a rich silk merchant in Canton. His ·grandmother was a little old lady who wore such rich clothes, painted her face so carefully, and had so many jewelled pins and flowers in her hair, that she looked quite young. Wung Foo was proud to have her lean on his shoulder when she wanted to cross the room. Her little crippled feet were only four inches long, and she had hard work walking without someone to he! p her. Chinese stories for children were the scariest kind. They were all about witches and dragons. But they did not scare Wung Foo. Wung Foo looked very fat in the winter time because he had to wear thick quilted cotton clothing. There were no stoves to keep the house warm. And there were no soft mats on the cold brick floors.; so his gold-trimmed red cloth shoes had thick white felt soles. He wore loose trousers of red silk, folded around his ankles, and a wadded blue silk coat. He kept his round cap on, even in the house, and was a small copy of his father. His head was shaven, all but a thick black lock on top. Wung Foo's home had a wall around it. It stood in a garden with a lily and fish pond, a bridge, and a curly-roofed tea-house. The women's sitting-room was very pretty. It had stools and tables of ,carved black wood, inlaid with pearl flowers. On the w~lls were hung pictures embroidered on red satin or ·painted on rice paper. There were vases and jars of red and gold, and blue and white. The tea trays were of silver _with gold birds on them. The ladies opened and shut scented fans. They spun flax, embroidered on silk and linen, and played dominoes. They had pet goldfish and singing birds. They ate a great many sweet things. When they visited the other ladies they went in sedan chairs, which were cushioned and curtained boxes with doors and windows. The tops resembled Chinese roofs. Men servants carried the sedan Wung Foo's Father (Please turn to page 222.) 222 LITTLE WUNG FOO (Continued from page 199) chairs by two poles extending out in front and behind. Once Wung Foo took a journey with his father on a boat. The river was so wide there was room for sailing-boats in the middle, and for lines of house-boats along the banks. Women washed and cooked on the decks of the houseboats. Children played there with little barrels tied to them. If _they fell into .the water the barrels kept them afloat until someone could pull them out. 'Vhen he went home, Wung Foo studied harder than ever. He was glad he was going to be a mandarin, or at least a silk· merchant like his father. Perhai>s he might go away to be a merchant in San Francisco in the United States, or to Manila in the 'Phi!~ ippine Islands. But when he got very· rich he would go back to China, and when he died his bones would be buried with those of his forefathers according to custom.-Condensed from Compton's Pictured Encyclopedia. REVIEW I. Did you like to read about little Wung Foo? 2. Tell about Wung Foo's grandmother. 3. How did Wung Foo dress in the winter time? 4. Tell about Wung Fob's home. 5. -Tell about the way the women lived. 6. Tell about Wung Foo's journey. 7. Tell about the Chinese house-boats. 8. \Vhat is a mandarin? (See the dictionary.) 9. Where is China? IO. Where is Canton? THE YOUNG CITIZEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (Continued from page 218) 5. Have you examined the picture of each instrument? (See page 202.) 6. Tell about each of the following instruments: (a) violin, ( b) viola, ( c) violoncello, ( d) double-bass, ( e) harp. 7. Can you name the "bowed" instruments of the orchestra, that is, those which are played by a bow? 8. How many strings has each bowed instrument? 9. What is the position of each player in the string section? 10. Can you pronounce correctly: violin (vigh-o-lin), viola ( vee-o-la), violqncello, ( vee-olohn-chel-o), 'cello ( 'chel-o). 11. Which is the smallest bowed instrument? 12. Which is the largest bowed instrument? 13. Which is larger, the violin or the viola? 14. Which is larger, the 'cello or the double-bass? 15. Have you seen and heard all the instruments of the string section? 16. Which instrument of the lune; 1939 LAKE BALINSASAYAO (Continued from page 198) ing came, behold! instead of the fertile plateau there was a lake. The news soon spread to the lowland~rs through an -0ld man who had made the trip up the mountain. "God has punished the wicked Negritos for stealing our fogd and animals, and our beautiful maiden," the people said. The plainsmen ascended the mountain. Sure enough, there was the lake instead of the mountain village on the plateau. Of Chief Guinatab and his men they heard nothing. Perhaps they were all drowned fn the lake. As the lowlanders looked into the water and saw the shadows of the leaves blown by the wind, they thought that the}' could see the Negritos dancing down in the water. The people called the · lake "Balinsasayao" which means in the native dialect "too much dancing," because they said that the lake had been formed after there had been too much dancing and merriment among ·the mountain people. Today, if you climb the mountains of _Negros, you .will still find the beautiful lake almost at ihe string section can best play a solo? top of a mountain peak. The 17 · Which instrument of the highest peak near the lake has string section cannot play a solo? . been named Guinatabon to r~ 18. What large stringed instru- mind the people of th'e Negrito ment of the orchestra can play a warrior who was swallowed by solo very well? the mountain. 19. Which is the most ancient stringed instrument? 20. How do we know the harp do you think you like the best? was used in ancient times? 2+ Can you tell about the 21. In what country is the pie- string section of the orchestra? ture of the harp an emblem? 25. Can you write from mem22. How many strings has the ory a composition about the string modern harp? section? 23. Which stringed instrument (To be continued)

pages

199, 222

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