"Once upon a time in China, a long long time ago, a shepherd fell in love with a beautiful weaver. The woman was a goddess who dreamed of living as a mortal on Earth; in love with the shepherd, they married and had two children, but the goddess Wang Mu opposed their union. The weaver was forced to return to heaven with her children, and as she walked away, her beloved could only watch as his family soared into the sky as he ran after them. It was then that Wang Mu decided to place a river wide enough to separate the couple, which we now call the Milky Way. The weaver and the man were each left at one end of the river and only on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar can they meet again, when the magpies build a bridge so that the family can be together for a day."
This story is a Chinese legend that tells the origin of Valentine's Day in that country, and we take this opportunity to present to you the story "The Princess of China", published in La Bella de la Tierra y otros cuentos albaneses de la viva voz del pueblo (The Beauty of the Earth and other Albanian tales from the living voice of the people), a story about how love can overcome the highest barriers or distance.
It is always said that there is nothing more powerful than love and this story shows us that there is nothing that cannot be achieved if we listen to our heart and fight for what we love. In "The Princess of China" we meet some young men who want to conquer their loved ones and do not give up no matter how many problems they encounter, until, after much effort, they achieve their goal. The men can be reunited with the person they love and, despite not having such a tragic ending as the legend of "The Shepherd and the Weaver", both stories convey a hopeful message. They show that it doesn't matter how difficult it is to be with the person we love. If we stick to our purpose, we will achieve our goal.
On this Valentine's Day, like all other days, we should tell our loved ones how much we appreciate them and, in case the other person does not yet know about your love, what better day than Valentine's Day, the day of the meeting of lovers, to confess it.
If you want to meet the Princess of China and find out how a young man conquered her heart, you will have to read La Bella de la Tierra y otros cuentos albaneses de la viva voz del pueblo(The Beauty of the Earth and other Albanian tales from the living voice of the people) or go through our social networks.
You can read it in your loved one's ear! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day and may your love cross barriers!
María Brea
