Today we’re going to tell the story of the Butterflies Lovers, a famous Chinese legend that dates from the fourth century.
In those days, girls couldn’t go to school. But one young girl, Yingtai, really wanted to study, so she dressed as a boy and went to school in a city near her home.
While she was traveling to the city, she met a boy named Shanbo. Shanbo was also going to the same school. The two became very good friends, but Shanbo didn’t know his friend was a girl.
Three years later, Yingtai received a letter from her father. Yingtai’s father wanted her to return home immediately. After she left, Shanbo discovered her secret: Yingtai was really a girl. Shanbo immediately went to look for her.
Shanbo found Yingtai in her village, and they declared their love for each other. But Yingtai’s parents wanted her to marry someone else. Shanbo became sick and died of a broken heart. He was buried in a tomb near Yingtai’s home.
Yingtai’s wedding day was not a happy day. As the wedding procession was passing Shanbo’s tomb, there was a loud noise. Lightning opened the tomb. Yingtai immediately jumped into Shanbo’s tomb and died. Then there was another flash of lightning, and the tomb closed forever.
Soon after, two butterflies appeared among the flowers near the tomb. Yingtai and Shanbo did not marry as humans, but now they lived happily together as a pair of butterflies.
