The Deludge

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

    The Deludge   

   According to the Chinese historical records in around 2297BC there was 
a strange phenomenal event happening in the land of what we now 
call China. It rained and rained non-stop for a long, long time. All the 
rivers in the land overflowed their banks all the inhabited land was 
inundated with water. Houses and farmlands were submerged and People and 
animals were drown. The survivors fled to the highlands. It was called 
"THE DELUGE" by historians.

   Yao2 Di4 (the legendary chief of federated tribes in ancient China)  
ordered Si4 Gun3 to be the leader in charge of dredging the rivers.
He was assisted by the leaders of all the tribes who lived there during 
that time.

   For nine years they failed to dredge the rivers and could not ease the 
flow of the river water to the sea. Yao2 Zhong4 Hua2, the son-in-law of 
Yao2 Di4 accused them of incompetence and wasted the precious time. Yao2 Di4 
had all the leaders executed. It left with no one to carry on with the 
dredging. Then Yao2 Di4 appointed Si4 Wen2 Ming4, who was employed as a 
Si Kong (Water-Works Engineer) to undertake the waterworks. Ironically 
this new leader was the son of the executed former leader Si4 Gun3. 

 Si4 Wen2 Ming4 and his team of workers worked very hard. Their work 
took them as far as to Hui4 Ji (present day Wu2 Xian4 in Jiangsu province). 
Although Si4 Wen2 Ming4 passed near his house three times yet as he was so 
busy with his work that he did not go in to say hello to his family. He 
knew a young was born at that time he had no time to enquireon into the 
health of his wife.

  After thirteen years of drudgery water started to recede and the rivers 
flowed smoothly to the sea. The land began to dry up and the flood was 
over. 

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.