精卫填海 — “To have an unyielding will and indomitable spirit”

Before the Xia Dynasty, the concept of a state had not yet formed. Emperors then were not as grand as later ones, enjoying many privileges; instead, they were purely public servants, only having duties to fulfill. The children of emperors also had no special titles like crown prince or princess, and their status was not particularly noble, just like the children of ordinary people.

The Yan Emperor had a daughter named Jingwei, who was lively and cheerful, and liked to champion justice. One day, she left her small village to play with friends and saw an older child riding a smaller child like a horse. The small child was exhausted and collapsed, but the older child refused to stop.

Jingwei walked over, pointed at the older child's forehead, and angrily scolded, "You are shameless! What kind of skill is it to bully a small child? If you have strength, go fight tigers and bears, then people will call you a hero."

The older child saw that Jingwei was a small, delicate girl and didn't pay any attention to her. He jumped off the small child's back, walked up to Jingwei, and said, "I am the son of the Sea Dragon King. Who are you? How dare you interfere with me!"

Jingwei said, "So what if you're the Dragon King's son? I'm the Yan Emperor's daughter! From now on, don't cause trouble on land, or I'll hang you on a tree to dry."

The Dragon King's son said, "I'll let you know my power first, so you'll stop minding my business." Saying this, he started to fight. Jingwei had followed her father hunting since childhood, so she was agile and strong. Seeing his rudeness, she didn't back down. She dodged his fist and kicked him, sending the Dragon King's son face-first into the dirt.

The Dragon King's son stood up, unwilling to admit defeat, and swung his fist again, but Jingwei punched him in the chest, sending him sprawling on his back.

Seeing that he couldn't defeat Jingwei, the Dragon King's son had no choice but to slink back into the sea.

A few days later, Jingwei went swimming in the sea and was having a great time when the Dragon King's son discovered her. He swam over and said to Jingwei, "The other day on land, you got the better of me. Today you've come to my doorstep, hurry up and apologize, or I'll stir up winds and waves and drown you."

Jingwei stubbornly said, "I did nothing wrong, why should I apologize?"

Seeing Jingwei's stubbornness and no sign of submission, the Dragon King's son immediately churned the sea, raising fierce winds and huge waves. Jingwei had no time to struggle and was drowned.

After Jingwei died, she transformed into a small bird with red claws and a white beak, determined to fill the sea. She carried stones and branches in her mouth and threw them into the sea, emitting cries of "Jingwei, Jingwei," as if encouraging herself. She continued year after year, month after month, without cease.