The Knife-Knife Bird
The Knife-Knife Bird: Long ago, in Black Dragon Bay of Zhangjiajie, there lived a poor old man named Tian, who depended on his only daughter, Ku Mei, for their livelihood. When Ku Mei was fifteen, because they couldn't pay the landlord's rent, she was forced to become the landlord's child bride. Ku Mei was pretty and worked hard, daily gathering pigweed, cutting grass for the ox, carrying water, turning the mill, and preparing meals for the landlord. But the cruel landlord did not...
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
The Dao-Dao Bird
Long ago, in Heilong Bay of Zhangjiajie, there lived a poor old man named Tian, who depended on his only daughter, Ku Mei, for company and survival. When Ku Mei was fifteen, because they could not pay the landlord's rent, she was forced to become a child bride in the landlord's household. Ku Mei was pretty and worked hard without complaint, every day gathering pigweed and cutting ox grass for the landlord, carrying water, turning the mill, and preparing tea and meals. But the cruel landlord would not let her eat at the table; she could only swallow leftover soup and scraps. If anything displeased them even slightly, she would be beaten and scolded. At night, she was made to sleep beside the ox pen, with straw for a blanket and the ox for company.
One day, Ku Mei carried a large basket on her back and went up the mountain to cut ox grass. After cutting for most of the day, she was so hungry her head spun and her eyes blurred. She looked up and spotted a mulberry tree on a cliff face, with some fruit still on it that the birds had not eaten. So she climbed up the tree step by step and picked a few berries to fill her stomach. But she was careless, and her sickle fell into a deep ravine. Ku Mei was terrified. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law valued things more than life itself — they would squeeze three ounces of oil out of a mouse's tail. Losing a sickle was unthinkable! She had no choice but to slowly search along the cliff face. She searched and searched, but how could she find any trace of the sickle? She had to go home crying all the way.
When the landlady heard the sickle was gone, she grabbed a bamboo blowpipe and beat her with it. When the blowpipe broke, she switched to tea-tree branches, beating Ku Mei until she screamed to heaven and earth. Her clothes were torn to shreds, her teeth were knocked out, and still the old landlord was not satisfied. He grabbed Ku Mei by the hair and slammed her head against a pillar... That very night, Ku Mei died beside the ox pen. When the landlady saw that Ku Mei was dead, she was afraid people would find out, so she chopped the body into chunks, stuffed them into a large clay jar, and pickled them like salted vegetables...
Ku Mei had not been home for a long time since entering the landlord's household. Her lonely, miserable father missed his daughter so much it pained his heart and liver. He longed for her and wept every day, until his eyes went blind from crying. One day, he felt his way to the landlord's house with a stick. The landlady said with a false smile: "Ku Mei has gone to visit her uncle. She probably won't be back for ten days or half a month." The old landlord also spoke sweetly to the old man: "We'll fry some cured meat for you, old fellow. Stay for lunch today." The old man thought it was true.
The landlady busied herself lighting the stove, but though she blew into the stove opening for a long time, the fire would not catch, and the room filled with smoke. She set the pot on, but the water only gave off steam and would not come to a boil. The old landlord brought out the large clay jar. Just as he removed the palm leaves stuffed inside, suddenly a bird flew out of the jar. The bird clawed open the old landlord's nose with one talon and pecked out the landlady's eyes with its beak. Then it hopped onto the old man's walking stick and cried: "Daddy's here! Daddy's here!" With each cry, its claws would grip the stick and it would do a somersault — a pitiful sight. The bird cried three long calls, then flew off to the valley opposite. From then on, it cried in the forest every night:
"He-yan dao-dao, he-yan dao-dao, a sister-in-law, cutting ox grass. Picking mulberries, dropping the sickle. Father wants the dao-dao, what can be done? Mother wants the dao-dao, what can be done..."