Once upon a time when Ch'in Shih Huang was emperor of all China, there lived seven brothers, each with an amazing power all his own. First Brother could hear a fly sneeze from a hundred miles away. Second Brother could spot that very fly sneezing away on the Great Wall of China. Third Brother lifted mountains that got in his way. Fourth Brother had bones of iron, and Fifth Brother, legs that grew. Sixth Brother kept warm by sitting in fires, and Seventh Brother always tried to stay cheerful because when he was unhappy, it took him only a single teardrop to drown an entire village!
The Seven Chinese Brothers, one of the most popular stories in the Chinese folktelling tradition, is based on translations of stories from The Selected Copy of Chinese Folk Tales and Chung-Kuo Min Chien Ku Shih (Chinese Folktale Stories). Carefully researched details in the watercolor paintings recreate the period in which the infamous first emperor of all China, Ch'in Shih Huang, lived and began building the Great Wall. Bold, colorful, and historically accurate illustrations adorn this classic Chinese folktale.
Calligraphy by Jeanyee Wong
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