The Empty Pot - Chinese

There once was a boy named Ping who loved flowers more than anything. In his home long ago in China, he could make any flower bloom with the most beautiful, bright colors. The Emperor loved flowers, too, but he was getting very old and needed to find a new person to take care of the land. So he planned a special contest for all the children. This is the story of that contest, a tale people call The Empty Pot.

The Emperor gave every child one special seed. 'The child who grows the best flower in one year will be the next emperor,' he said. Ping was so happy. He planted his seed in a beautiful pot with soft, warm dirt. Every day, he gave it water. Splash, splash, splash. He gave it lots of sunshine. Bright, yellow sunshine. He waited and he waited. But nothing grew. Not a little sprout. Not a tiny leaf. Ping moved the seed to a bigger pot, but still, nothing happened. His pot was empty. So very empty.

When the year was over, it was time to see the Emperor. All the other children carried big pots. Their pots were full of tall, bright, beautiful flowers. There were red flowers and yellow flowers and purple flowers. Ping looked at his empty pot and felt very sad. His father gave him a hug and said, 'You did your best. Go and show the Emperor your honest work.' So Ping, feeling brave, carried his empty pot to the palace. The Emperor looked at all the wonderful flowers, but then he stopped. He stopped right in front of Ping.

The Emperor looked at the pot and asked Ping, 'Why is your pot empty?'. Ping told the truth. He said, 'I tried my very best, but the seed would not grow for me.' The Emperor smiled a big, warm smile. He told everyone, 'I cooked all the seeds. They could never grow.'. Ping was the only one who was honest. Because he told the truth, the Emperor chose Ping to be the next leader. This story shows that being honest is the most beautiful thing of all. It is a very special seed to plant.