Beauty and Pock Face facts for kids

Beauty and Pock Face is a classic Chinese fairy tale. It was collected by Wolfram Eberhard in his book Chinese Fairy Tales and Folk Tales. This story is a type of "Cinderella" tale. It's known as Aarne-Thompson type 510A, which means it's about a hero or heroine who is treated badly. Other famous stories like this include The Golden Slipper and The Story of Tam and Cam. Sometimes, this Chinese tale is even called Cinderella when it's translated into English.

The Story of Beauty and Pock Face

Once, there was a man who had two wives. Each wife had a baby girl. The first wife's daughter was very pretty. She was named Beauty. The second wife's daughter was a year younger. She had a pocked face and was called Pock Face.

Beauty's Difficult Life

Beauty's own mother passed away. Her stepmother, Pock Face's mother, was very mean. She was jealous of Beauty's beauty. So, the stepmother made Beauty do all the hard and dirty jobs around the house. Beauty was treated very unfairly.

One day, Beauty's mother returned. She came back as a kind yellow cow. This magical cow helped Beauty with all her chores. But the stepmother soon found out about the cow. She was very angry and had the yellow cow killed. Beauty was heartbroken. She carefully gathered the cow's bones. She put them into a special pot.

The Festival and a Lost Shoe

Later, there was a big festival in town. The stepmother dressed Pock Face in nice clothes. But she refused to let poor Beauty go to the festival. Beauty felt very upset and angry. She started breaking things in the house. She even broke the pot with the cow's bones.

When the pot broke, something amazing happened! A beautiful horse appeared. A lovely dress and a pair of fancy shoes also came out. Beauty quickly put on the dress and shoes. She rode the horse and went straight to the festival.

At the festival, Beauty accidentally lost one of her special shoes. It fell into a ditch. She didn't want to get her new clothes dirty. So, she asked three different men to get the shoe for her. Each man agreed, but only if she would marry him.

Choosing a Husband

Beauty turned down the first man. He was a fishmonger, and she said he smelled like fish. The second man was a rich merchant. Beauty refused him because he was covered in dust. The third man was an oil trader. She said he was too greasy.

Finally, she met a wealthy scholar. He was clean and tidy. He wasn't smelly, dusty, or greasy. He was just right! Beauty agreed to marry him.

Pock Face's Evil Plan

Three days after her wedding, Beauty went to visit her parents. Pock Face tricked her near a well. She pushed Beauty into the well. Then, Pock Face sent a message to the scholar. She told him that Beauty had caught smallpox.

After some time, Pock Face went to the scholar herself. She pretended to be Beauty. She explained her different looks by saying she had been very sick.

Beauty's Transformations

However, Beauty was not truly gone. She changed into a little sparrow. She flew to the scholar's house. While Pock Face was combing her hair, the sparrow started to tease her. Pock Face teased the sparrow back. The scholar heard the sparrow's voice. He thought it sounded like Beauty. He asked the sparrow to fly into a golden cage if it was his wife. The sparrow flew right into the cage.

Pock Face was furious. She killed the sparrow and buried it. But from the grave, bamboo shoots grew up. The scholar found these bamboo shoots delicious. But when Pock Face ate them, she got painful sores on her tongue.

Pock Face cut down the bamboo. She had a bed made from it. The scholar found the bed very comfortable. But for Pock Face, the bed poked her with sharp needles. So, she threw the bed out.

A New Beginning

An old woman found the bamboo bed and took it home. The old woman noticed something strange. Whenever she came home, dinner was already cooked for her. One day, she caught Beauty's spirit working in her house.

Beauty then asked the old woman for some magical items. She needed a bowl for her stomach, chopsticks for her bones, and juice for her blood. With these ingredients, Beauty became a real person again, flesh and blood.

The Truth Revealed

Beauty gave the old woman a bag to sell. She told her to sell it near her husband's mansion. When the old woman did this, the scholar saw her. He questioned her about the bag. He soon realized Beauty was alive! He brought her back home.

Pock Face was shocked. She suggested some tests to prove who the real wife was. First, they had to walk on eggs. Beauty walked without breaking any. Pock Face broke all of them, but she wouldn't admit it.

Next, they climbed a ladder made of knives. Beauty climbed without cutting her feet. Pock Face cut her feet badly, but still wouldn't admit the truth.

Finally, they had to jump into boiling oil. Beauty jumped in and came out alive and well. Pock Face jumped in and sadly died. Beauty sent Pock Face's body back to her stepmother. The stepmother thought it was a fish. When she saw it was her daughter, she fell down dead from shock.