What are the widely circulated folklore stories?

1. The legend of the pomegranate tree

The Jade Emperor Temple has a long history and many ancient trees, including boxwood and holly that are more than 200 years old, and the 600-year-old pomegranate tree in the backyard. More eye-catching. As the saying goes, pomegranates are as red as fire in summer, but this old pomegranate tree blooms with white flowers and bears white fruits. Opposite the old pomegranate tree is a sturdy little pomegranate tree with red flowers and red fruits and red seeds.

They, one old and one young, have become a scene in the Jade Emperor Temple, known as the "wonder of children and old people". Every June and July, pomegranate flowers bloom, red and white, especially enchanting and beautiful. When the pomegranate fruits are hanging all over the branches, it greets tourists with a smile, and it is a unique scene.

Speaking of this ancient, 600-year-old pomegranate tree, there is a touching story: the revolutionary elders not only cared about the safety of the people of the motherland, but also cared about the survival of nature's vegetation. In 1964, someone wanted to cut down the old pomegranate tree.

At this time, Vice Chairman Dong Biwu was in Yantai. When he learned that someone was going to cut down this old tree with a long history, he said with emotion: "This old pomegranate tree cannot be killed and should be kept. Let people see how it survives from generation to generation as a witness to history.” In this way, Dong Biwu’s words brought the 600-year-old pomegranate tree back to life.

Presumably trees also have feelings. In order to repay Dong Biwu’s life-saving grace, the old pomegranate tree blossomed and bore fruit to welcome guests at home and abroad. So it is not easy for us to enjoy this "wonderful spectacle of children and old people" again today.

2. The legend of Xiao Penglai Pavilion

Yuhuangding Park is also called Xiao Penglai. Xiao Penglai includes a small Penglai Pavilion, which is also called Luzu Temple. This building came into existence because of an accidental coincidence. In the spring of the second year of Guangxu's reign, there was no rain for a long time. People who relied on the sky came to the Jade Emperor Temple to burn incense and pray for rain. Coincidentally, it rained heavily.

Gong Yitu, a Jinshi of the Qing Dynasty, moved the fragrant wood statue of Lu Dongbin collected in his home and built a temple to worship it. People attributed the heavy rain to Lu Dongbin, and built this building to commemorate his achievements. Legend has it that later the other seven gods saw Lu Dongbin coming here, so they also came together, and the name of Xiao Penglai Pavilion came into being.

There are murals painted on the walls of Lu Zu Temple. On the left is the real Huolong, who teaches Lu Dongbin how to set up battle formations; on the right is Mr. Wenfang, who teaches him music, chess, calligraphy and painting. The boy on the left of Lu Dongbin is the scholar, and the black boy on the right is the willow tree spirit, Lu Dongbin's disciple. Legend has it that when Lu Dongbin preached to him, he did not listen attentively. Although he later became a human, he always had a strand of willow branches on his head.

3. Nuwa created humans

After Pangu transformed into the earth, many kinds of creatures appeared on the earth. Many years later, an equally great figure appeared on the earth - Nuwa. Nuwa discovered that although there were many creatures on the earth, they lacked the ability to create.

So Nuwa made many little people out of yellow clay according to her own pattern. Because Nuwa felt that the people she created should be a little different from herself, so she changed the tails of the clay figures into Two hind legs (bipods). Afterwards, spells were cast to turn these villains into living people, and these people all have independent thoughts of their own.

4. Shennong tried a hundred herbs

Birth, old age, illness and death are the most natural things, but those who leave this world early because of "illness" are really worthy of sympathy. Shennong felt that he had the responsibility to protect his people, so he traveled all over China in search of medicinal herbs to treat patients. After he found them, he would take them himself to determine whether they were useful or poisonous. Finally, herbs were found that could treat many common ailments.

5. Hou Yi shot the sun

Many years later (during the reign of Emperor Yao), there was a severe drought. The reason was simple: ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time. In order to solve the problem of severe drought, Hou Yi made a huge bow with unlimited power. Hou Yi poured magic power into the bow. Then he took his bow and climbed up the mountain, condensed his magic power into invisible arrows, and guided the bow to shoot at the sun. I originally wanted to shoot down all ten suns, but I thought that if they all shot down, the earth would fall into endless darkness, so I left one sun in the sky.