Just as the West remembers Sisyphus, cursed to struggle without end, the East too carries a tale of defiance against the impossible.It is the legend of Jingwei, a spirit reborn as a bird, who swore to fill the vast Eastern Sea.
Long ago, during the reign of Emperor Yan, there lived his youngest daughter, a girl of radiant spirit and laughter like silver bells. She loved the mountains and the rivers, but most of all she loved the boundless Eastern Sea.
One day, as she sailed across its glittering waves, a sudden storm rose without warning. The waters churned black and merciless, and the sea swallowed her fragile vessel whole.
Her mortal life ended there, but her soul did not rest. From the depths of the waves emerged a small bird, her feathers burning red and black like embers, her cry forever repeating her name: "Jingwei, Jingwei."
Thus she was reborn—not as a princess of men, but as a spirit of defiance.
Every dawn, Jingwei soared over mountains and valleys, carrying twigs, branches, and small stones in her beak. She flew across the endless sky and dropped them into the sea. Each piece was nothing before the ocean's vastness, yet she cast them with unwavering resolve.
To others, it was futile. To her, each twig was a promise. Each stone, a vow.
"I will fill you, Eastern Sea. I will not let you devour another life as you devoured mine."
The ocean roared with laughter, its waves crashing in mockery. But Jingwei's wings did not falter.
Days turned to months, months to years. Gods and mortals alike looked on in awe and pity. They whispered that no bird so small could ever triumph over the boundless sea.
Yet still Jingwei flew.
Her shadow crossed mountains, rivers, and forests. Children who heard her cry learned her tale and spoke of her courage. Generations passed, but the bird's struggle never ceased.
For in her endless task lay a truth deeper than the sea itself:That to resist despair, to fight even knowing you cannot win, is its own kind of victory.
And so the story lives on. The sea remains, vast and unfilled, yet the bird still flies.Her wings beat against eternity, and her cry still echoes across the waves—a reminder that even the smallest voice may defy the endless dark.