Offbeat China has translated, in full, a Chinese adaptation of a popular fairy tale found in a children’s book. The story is amazing, complete with amazing illustrations, and generally reads like an amazing version of a Brother Grimm tale, only funnier. Here’s an excerpt:
“Today, I will teach you a beautiful story,” the duck professor said to the ducklings, “The story is about a little swan that was born into a duck family. He wasn’t recognized and thus regarded as the ugly duckling. But he was a swan after all. In the end, he grew into the most beautiful swan.”
All the ducklings were attracted to the story, even the duck mom. After going back home, the ducklings started to discuss the story they just learned. But there was one duckling, the ugly duckling, who stood alone and was deep in his thoughts.
Duck mom walked towards him and asked: “What’s wrong with you, my kid?” “I must be a swan,” the ugly duckling replied. Duck mom was shocked: “You are a duck. You dad can testify to it, too.”
Your dad can testify to it, too, is not, by a long shot, the punchline. This is the picture that accompanies the end of the story:
If that doesn’t make you go read all of it, maybe consider this: Chinese Internet users seem to hate the story, saying, “The darkest thing about this story is that it teaches kids not to be themselves and to follow the masses.”
Well, people: stop following the masses, GO LOVE THIS STORY.
The Chinese ugly duckling (Offbeat China)
Sorry for being pedantic, but a little national pride got to me, so bear with me
The Ugly Duckling was written by Hans Christian Anderson and not the Grimm brothers
He didn’t say it was by the Brothers Grimm, he said it reads like a Brothers Grimm story who are better known for dark, gritty, murderous tales more so than HCA (though, by today’s standards, HCA’s stories are pretty grim