Yaner and the Yaya

The Origin of the Dangdai Dolls

Pays Reverie Academic and Educational Ltd. (Literary Fiction)

Copyright Text Lee Shi-min 2012 Copyright Illustrations Lee Shi-min 2010 First Edition February 2012 ISBN TBA

Printed and bound in Hong Kong by Alexa Press An imprint of Pays Reverie Avon Park, 15 Yat Ming Road Fanling, Hong Kong

Contents
Dedication
To mom and dad, for their love, generosity and kindness.

Acknowledgements
To Mother Nature who was the source of inspiration for this work. Chapter 1: Spring Chapter 2: Summer Chapter 3: Mid-Summer Chapter 4: Autumn Chapter 5: Mid-Autumn Chapter 6: Winter Chapter 7: Mid-Winter Chapter 8: Spring Storm Chapter 9: Reconstruction, Coming Alive & Reunion

Appendices
Appendix A: Cast of Characters Appendix B: Dangdai Dolls Character Names Appendix C: Story Setting Appendix D: Stage Settings
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Chapter 1: Spring
It was a wonderfully fresh spring morning as winters grip over the mountains began to lift. The sounds of running water grew louder as ice over the alpine streams thinned. The oak, elm, walnut, maple, and ash which dominate the upper foothills were beginning to stir with hints of green shoots budding from twigs and branches. As usual, Yaya were the first to wake with the rising sun, and went to Yaners side to gently coax her up - all four of them: Wen1-wen1 (gentle one), Chang2-er3 (long ears), Ping2-ping2 (wise, level one), and Hun4-hun4 (mixed one). Yaner rustled around a little, slowly opened her eyes and put an arm around one of the dogs, Hun-hun as it happened, bringing him in close, as if he were a pillow. After a time, Yaner got up, and helped her mom to prepare breakfast of hot rice porridge, fish and vegetables. Warmed up some by the meal, Yaner slung a set of yellow wicker-work baskets onto her back, and set out into the forest to collect firewood, and forage for flora, as Yaya followed around her. Yaner collected frilly masses of cloud ear fungus (Auricularia polytricha) from the trunks of dead wood which occasionally crossed her path, and picked off jujubes (Ziziphus zizyphus) or red dates, that still remained on the lower branches of such trees, shriveled and hard from months of winter cold. As she continued, she was careful to avoid stepping on clusters of snakes sunbathing in the clearings. Silver birch bark was great for tindering embers, so Yaner pulled off a few protruding strips. She was also grateful for the few dark pungent truffles Yaya from time to time sniffed out and unearthed from under mottled wet carpets of defrosting leaves. At this Chang-er was particularly good. By break of dusk, with her baskets almost full, Yaner and Yaya began to make their way back home, leisurely enjoying the changing colours, shades and tones of a fading sky.

LEE SHI-MIN

Chapter 2: Summer
With the start of summer, the air was filled with the calls of titmice, tree creepers and nuthatches. Yaner liked to visit and explore the lakes, ponds and marshes along her daily forage outings. She enjoyed the stillness of scenes, and sense of peace and calmness it gave her. For this she thanked in part the beavers. Besides, she could easily check on how the frogs, salamanders and other small aquatic inhabitants were doing through the cool clear water, which offered a soft bed of mud in the shallows, while water spiders skated on the glassy surface, and dragon-flies hovered and darted around above. Yaner also liked to wallow in the alpine lakes, doing the dog paddle with Yaya, filling up her lungs with deep inhalations of air and pushing her chest proudly above the waters surface; she could float just about motionless for long whiles, something Yaya found intriguing and could not manage to do. And she felt most ethereal, peaceful and free when in this state she closed her eyes.

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Chapter 3: Mid-Summer
In the morning, Yaner and Yaya enjoyed trekking up to the top of the mountains where they would have lunch, then lie back on a soft patch of alpine meadow, dreaming they were floating on a cloud, and watch the world go by, assigning faces, patterns and pictures to formless wispy mists. In the afternoon, a most welcome and refreshing sun-shower greeted them, and Yaner tilted her face upward, and closed her eyes, to greet the sun and rain, and savour the uncommon occurrence. Then she would open her eyes and watch the rain-water drop and slowly make their way to the Yangtze River south. Her small herd of sure-footed goats and their kids were at ease feeding on the tender herbal blooms higher up on the steep mountain flanks, as her family looked forward to the heavenly flavors of the resultant milk and cheese. Yaner would notice from time to time new flowers alien to her, some standing singular and alone, others in bunches, and thoughtfully surmised from where their lofty seeds might have come, having landed, germinated, taken root, sprung up and flourished in a land of foreign soil.

LEE SHI-MIN

Chapter 4: Autumn
A cool breeze ran across Yaners face signalling the arrival of autumn, while broad deciduous leaves of the mountain lower reaches showed more than subtle hints of a change in colour, fading greens to yellow. She was particularly fond of trekking through the forest at this time of year, as the sun shone through crowning foliage to form bright dappled impressions of light translucent yellowish-green, and later on red. Yaner could distinguish the rustling sounds of leaves of the great deciduous trees, the lower ranges of the larger oak and maple, the intermediate ranges of the elm and birch, and the high range of her favorite, unmistakable poplar. When strong winds blew, whole trees, bodies, branches and leaves swayed and waved in unison along with the whooshing sounds of the breeze weaving around their presence.

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Chapter 5: Mid-Autumn
This was the busiest time of the year for Yaner, her family, friends and companions. Days were long and full as they busied themselves with gathering the bounty of the harvest season under the full glory of a blushing forest preparing to sleep. Few remaining poplar leaves, radiant red, drifted down from bare outstretched arms, like whimsical drops of blood. Yaner was particularly fond of walking with Yaya on the forgiving forest carpet, and felt she could feel through her soles at times the molten river magna, mother earths life blood, slowly churning, running and coursing through veins deep below. Squirrels were gathering nuts and seeds with increasing frequency, intermittently playing hide and seek and tag, up, down and all around the trunks of the great oaks maples and ash. Meanwhile, Yaner and her family were busy digging up starchy staples of potatoes from the vegetable garden and pulling out ripened rice stalks from the terraced marshes.

LEE SHI-MIN

Chapter 6: Winter
One morning, Yaner and Yaya woke up to a world of crystalline statues; freezing rain had given way to clear pristine coatings to everything it fell upon. Glassy images of familiar home surroundings were slightly magnified and distorted by a thin refracting layer of ice. They ventured outside and walked around, slowly, so as to avoid slipping on the hardened ground, and gazed at the glistening glaze of natural beauty frozen in time. Giant icicles like stakes hung from the lower branches of trees as well as from the edges of roofs of their timber abodes. In the weeks that followed, they reveled in the different types of snow that floated, swirled and fell onto earth from skies above, tempered to offer comforting softness, unforgiving hardness and layers of crust like cake.

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Chapter 7: Mid-Winter
Most of the streams and rapids along the upper reaches of the mountains had frozen over, as Yaner, with each exhalation, emitted tiny white clouds in the open air. She and Yaya were particularly exhilarated when snow fell on a cold still night when they would tilt their heads upwards and open their mouths wide to catch on their tongues the subtlest of melting sensations: light fluffy snowflakes that floated down softly like endless falling stars that winked and twinkled against the pitch-black sky. Yaner would slide down hills on long-fallen logs, holding onto branches for steady balance. By now, most of the flora and many of the fauna were in the middle of a deep sleep; curled up snugly in padded hollows and dens; the takin had to dig deep for shoots to sustain themselves.

LEE SHI-MIN

Chapter 8: Spring Storm

One morning, Yaner and her family went out on their boat to survey life along the river while Yaya stayed behind to look after the village home, herd and flocks. Around noon, Yaya were surprised when the rustling of water suddenly became audible, and grew louder, for several moments; they approached the river nearby to see sections of banks had given way to the force of running water. Concerned and anxious, they called out for Yaner and her family whom they were unable to see. Yaya waited patiently beside the river bank till after dusk well past the time when they usually returned, and eventually reluctantly returned, with heavy hearts, to their village shelter to retire for the night.

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Chapter 9: Reconstruction, Coming Alive & Reunion

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and the thought that Yaner and her family were not coming back grew increasingly heavy in Yayas thoughts. Half a year had passed and Yaya decided to construct out of fallen pieces of forest wood, in honor of Yaners memory, a kind likeness of her. Yaya worked through the autumn months to complete a maquette of Yaya, which they named Dong-dong, and placed her in bed sleeping as usual on her right side. It gave Yaya some comfort to return to the morning routine of coaxing Yaners likeness, Dong-dong awake with their tongues on her face, but for months she did not stir. Then, on the first day of the lunar new year, Yaya were surprised and overcome with joy when the maquette came to life. Where am I?! were her first words. To which Yaya replied, with sparkling eyes of happiness, You are home again! And we are so glad to have you back! She then asked, Who am I?!, to which Yaya replied, You are Dong-dong, a reincarnation of Yaner, awake after a long, long sleep! And who are you?! To which Yaya replied, We are your four canine companions, who lovingly formed you from forest wood, as a likeness of Yaner, as she was washed out to sea with her family in last years spring flood! What a great blessing it is that you have come to life! exclaimed Yaya. Dong-dong, though feeling overwhelmed and uneasy at her reception, welcomed the warmth of her new friends, and joined them in preparation of the commencing festivities in celebration of the Chinese new year of the Rat! In the following days and weeks, Dong-dong grew closer to and became more familiar with her new home, surroundings and friends. Her intrigue with how she came to be also grew, and eventually she asked Yaya in this regard. Yaya obliged her so far as to show her their full creative process, taking pride in their refined skills in choosing the best pieces of hardwood from the forest floor, shaping them into an elegant head, slender torso and limbs, jointing and joinery work, and final finishing of the surfaces.

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Dong-dong was so impressed with their creation that she kept it by her side much of the time, naming her Lan-lan and looking after her as if she were a younger sister. The following year, on the first day of the Chinese lunar new year, Dong-dong was surprised to be awaken by Lan-lan. Lan-lan asked Dong-dong questions the same nature of which Dong-dong had asked Yaya a year before, and Dong-dong happily replied in similar fashion. Dong-dong introduced herself as the first reincarnation of Yaner, and Yaya, the four canine companions, artisans who crafted them both from forest wood, as a likeness of Yaner, as she was washed out to sea with her family in a spring flood two years ago! This great animation became a regular time for celebration as each year, for ten more years, Yaya created a new maquette in honor and remembrance of Yaner. One day, Yaner and her family, after having been away for a dozen years, found their way home, and were surprised to find it was much the same as they had remembered it Yaya, who had carefully maintained and tended to it, ran up and greeted them with warm brushes, nudges and wagging tails. Yaner and her family noticed Yaya had grown a little longer about the whiskers, rougher and wiser, and soon the host of girls around who looked uncannily like Yaner. Yaya delighted in introducing the Dangdai Dolls, one by one: Dong-dong (Year of the Rat; gray), Lan-lan (Year of the Ox; blue), Qing-qing (Year of the Tiger; green), Fen-fen (Year of the Rabbit; pink), Huang-huang (Year of the Dragon; yellow), Hong-hong (Year of the Snake; red), Dai-dai (Year of the Horse; black), Xia-xia (Year of the Ram; cyan), Xing-xing (Year of the Monkey; magenta), Zi-zi (Year of the Rooster; purple), Yun-yun (Year of the Dog; orange), Fei-fei (Year of the Boar; brown), to Yaner and her family, describing how they were fashioned and came into being. After many months, things were much as they were as if Yaner had never been gone. The Dangdai Dolls began, however, to feel a call from nature which grew increasingly strong, and restless to return to the forest from whence they had come. On the eve of the approaching Chinese lunar new year, Yaner, Yaya and family bid them farewell as the Dolls, twelve in number, entered and faded away into a tangle of trees and foliage.

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Appendices
Appendix A: Cast of Characters
Yaner / Yan Xiao-tian, main character, protagonist Yaners parents: Mr. and Mrs. Tian2; Mr. and Mrs. Sweet Yaya (four companion dogs) Nicknames Labrador; Wen1-wen1 Wen1-he2; (gentle, warm; disposition, character) Cocker Spaniel; Chang2-er3 (Long Ears) Pekingese; Ping2-ping2 Ping2-mian4 (Flat-face; level; wise) or Da4-yan3 (Big Eyes) Mixed; Hun4-hun4 Hun4-he2

Appendix B: Dangdai Dolls Character Names With Associated Chinese Zodiac Animal and Color
1. Dong-dong, rat, gray 2. Lan-lan, ox, blue 3. Qing-qing, tiger, green 4. Fen-fen, rabbit, pink 5. Hunag-huang, dragon, yellow 6. Hong-hong, snake, red 7. Dai-dai, horse, black 8. Xia-xia, ram, cyan 9. Xing-xing, monkey, magenta 10. Zi-zi, rooster, purple 11. Yun-yun, dog, orange 12. Fei-fei, boar, brown

Appendix C: Story Setting

Qinling Mountain Range Climate: sub-tropical continental monsoon climate Province: Shaanxi (southeast), Central China Country: China

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Appendix D: Stage Settings

1. Foothills (Yaners home residence) 2. Deciduous Forest 2-T. Deciduous and Evergreen Broadleaf Forest 3. Evergreen Broadleaf Forest 3-T. Broadleaf Mixed and Coniferous Forest 4. Coniferous Forest 5. Alpine Meadow 6. Peak