There is a Chinese story of the dragon's pearl. On day, a young boy was out looking for food. He came across a beautiful giant pearl nestled in the rice fields. He takes it home with him and shows it to his mother. Afraid that the other villagers will be jealous, she quickly hides it inside a near-empty rice jar. The next day as the mother prepares to make food, she opens the rice jar and to her astonishment, jar is brimming with rice. The pearl gleams among the white grains. "It is a miraculous pearl!" she and the boy exclaim in wonder. Joyously, they share the rice among their neighbors, careful to keep the source the the plenty a secret. But as secrets have a way of doing, it eventually got out and the villagers became wild with jealousy. They came raiding the house of the boy and his mother, determined to possess the magical pearl, and in the confusion and violence, the boy swallowed the pearl. He was transformed into a beautiful dragon, and he danced away into the heavens with the flaming pearl. Size: 21 x 12 inches Detail closeups:
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