The Grandfather Who Moved a Mountain

Long, long ago, in a little village, there lived a grandfather named Yu Gong. He was nearly ninety years old, but his heart was firmer than anyone’s. And right in front of his home stood two great mountains, planted there like giants.

Because of those mountains, no matter where anyone went, they had to wander the long way around. Going to market took ages. Visiting a neighbor took ages too. And the villagers were always sighing, wishing things were easier.

One day, Yu Gong gathered his whole family together. “What if we joined our strength,” he said, “and moved these mountains?” Their eyes grew round with wonder. But soon, one by one, they all nodded.

So the very next day, Yu Gong and his family went up to the mountain. They dug up the earth, filled their baskets, and carried it, one load at a time, all the way to the faraway sea. One basket of soil, one little stone. Very, very slowly, it began.

The neighbors saw them and laughed. “Grandfather, when on earth do you think you will finish moving a mountain that big?” Yu Gong stopped his carrying hands and gave a soft, warm smile.

“If I cannot finish, my son will carry it on,” Yu Gong said calmly. “And if my son cannot finish, his son will carry it on after him. The mountain will not grow any taller, but we will keep going and going, so one day it is sure to be flat.”

At those words, the neighbors fell quiet. They could feel that Yu Gong’s heart was firmer than any mountain. And whether it rained or whether it snowed, Yu Gong and his family carried their earth, one basket at a time.

A year went by, and then another. The mountain grew lower, just a little, ever so little. And not one of them ever stopped their slow and steady steps.

From far above, the sky had been watching all this loving effort, and quietly it was moved. “How can the hearts of such small people be so very big?” And the sky decided, ever so gently, to lend a hand.

Then one morning, the villagers woke to a wonderful surprise. The two mountains that had blocked their home were gone, carried far, far away. The road lay wide open now, and they could go anywhere, straight and free.

Only then did the people understand. Even a task so slow that no end can be seen will, if you never stop, come true one day. Yu Gong’s steadfast heart had moved the mountains themselves.

And as Yu Gong and his family walked down the open road, they smiled bright and wide. For they knew now that even going slowly, step by gentle step, you arrive in the end. And that village stayed peaceful and happy, for many long and gentle years.