By Dorothee Bohlke, Garrett Educational Corp., Ada, Oklahoma, 1991.
Each day Mr. Chang went about his business dressed in his plain colored clothes, black hat and black shoes. One day he decided he was tired of looking like everyone else and wanted to dress in bright beautiful colors. While on the street the governor, Mr. Mo, passed by in his sedan chair. He was wearing a bright beautiful golden robe, and all the towns’ people stopped to bow to him. Mr. Mo held his head high and ignored them. Mr. Chang loved the yellow robe and was impressed by the governor’s importance. He went to the tailor and asked for a mandarin’s yellow robe for himself. The tailor was shocked at such a request for only the most important people were allowed to wear such a robe. Mr. Chang insisted. The tailor happened to have one in a trunk and sold it to Mr. Chang, but again warned him not to wear it in public. Each day Mr. Chang would arrive home, put on his golden robe, look at himself in the mirror and feel important. When he went out he put his plain clothes over the golden robe to conceal it. He soon took on a haughty air, not speaking or looking at his neighbors, just walking alone with his head held high. One day as he was resting on a river bank wearing his golden robe he heard the screams of two little girls. They had been playing badminton and their shuttlecock was in the river. Mr. Chang jumped up to help them. They saw his golden robe and told him not to bother for he was too important to help with such a small task. Mr. Chang ignored the comments of the little girls and retrieved their shuttlecock. After returning the shuttlecock to the girls he hurried away to cover his golden robe. As he was returning home a dog grabbed the hem of his plain clothes exposing his yellow robe hidden underneath. The people saw this, had him arrested and taken before Mr. Mo. The governor was furious at Mr. Chang for wearing the golden robe and wanted to punish him. The two little girls Mr. Chang had helped were hiding behind a pillar and heard their father speaking in harsh tones to Mr. Chang. They rushed to Mr. Chang’s rescue. The girls told their father how Mr. Chang had helped them. Mr. Mo was grateful and invited Mr. Chang to the palace the next night for a fireworks display. He would be permitted to wear the golden robe for one night. Mr. Chang did not go to the palace but stayed home wearing his plain clothes. After the fireworks he gazed at the stars and decided that he was like them, “not as bright as the sun or moon but special just like each of the stars.”
(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)
