梗概

The Bronze Bull of the Summer Palace

Sitting at the head of the seventeen-arch bridge in Beijing’s Summer Palace is a copper bull．According to folklore，Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty adored hunting．One day，on his returning from a hunting outing，he saw three magnificent golden-haired bulls．Emperor Kangxi loved them so much that he took them back to his palace．He even ordered a special keeper to attend and feed the three bulls．Everything was fine until the keeper noticed one strange occurrence；every night the bulls would disappear and not return till the next dawn．When Emperor Kangxi was informed of this peculiar event，he ordered his guards to keep a watch on the bulls．

When midnight struck that evening，with a gentle rustle of the leaves，three dark shadows flew over the wall．The guards immediately gave chase after the shadows，which headed north passing the Xizhi Gate．When the guards caught up，the bulls were just taking baths in the Kunming Lake．Emperor Kangxi ordered his guards to capture the bulls，but despite much struggle，two bulls were able to escape and took flight towards the east horizon．Fearing to lose the remaining bull，Emperor Kangxi decided to leave it chained beside the lake．Years passed，the golden-haired bull eventually metamorphosed into a bronze sculpture．One can still notice its glaring eyes and its head facing towards the distant east．