A Funny Story About Song Thrush

The Four Seals Miao is a small tribe of the Miao minority group who inhabit the mountainous area of southwestern China. Although they don’t have silver jewelry like other Miao tribes, they attract tourists home and abroad with their unique and ethnic culture. They got their name Four Seals from women’s garments sporting four bright square designs embroidered on the front, back, and sleeves, which are exactly like four large seals.

Maige, a beautiful village, is their hometown. It boasts numbers of thrush that are noted for their intoxicating songs. Every morning you can hear the birds singing excitedly like a symphony in the forest. So the village got a nickname home of thrushes.

Lots of thrushes have brown or yellow plumage and lovely spotted breasts. But some thrushes are distinguished by their white or red plumage. These beautiful birds not only sing sweet songs, but imitate the sounds of other animals and birds. In the forest, you can always hear the sound of a goose, a hen, or a cat. These strange sounds are in fact created by a thrush.

Thrushes like to fight. In the mountains, they have their own territories. If one thrushs territory is invaded by another thrush, a fight will ensue.

Almost every Miao family raise thrushes at home. They put the birds into a cage, listening to the birds singing, and watching them fighting.

Thrush fighting competition is held from time to time. A thrush raised for one year with good care can be a great fighter, which can sell for a good price. Bird trade flourishes in the Miao area with businessmen from other areas in China and overseas coming to buy birds. In 2007, a thrush raised by a villager in Maige was sold to a man from Hong Kong at the price of RMB 280,000.

Artists get inspiration from the thrush, and have created lots of beautiful songs and dances about the bird.

Why do the local people enjoy raising thrushes? And why do thrushes always like to fight with each other? Here is a story:

A long time ago, an old couple lived peacefully in a village with their ten sons. When they grew up, all ten of them were married. With ten more women in the family, the peaceful life of the old couple was ruined. Everyday the women quarreled with one another, which ultimately destroyed the good relationships among the sons. After deciding to break up with the big family and live apart from one another, the sons divided the land and property given to them by the old couple, who chose to live with their youngest son and his wife.

Of the ten wives of their sons, nine were lazy and stupid. Only the one with the youngest son was smart and diligent. This diligent couple worked hard on their farmland, and began to live a prosperous life. Lazy and poor, all other sons and wives eventually had to start borrowing money from them. But the endless borrowing caused the young couple to run out all of their money and became impoverished themselves. To continue to live, the old couple had to go to the mountains to gather wild fruits for food.

One day when the old couple were in the mountain, an elderly man appeared and asked them why they had to eat wild fruits. And the couple told the man their sad story. After which he said, Just go back to your home, and you will have food.

When the old couple got home, they found many birds chirming around their house. Nine sons and their wives disappeared. Only the youngest couple were cooking in the kitchen.

The elderly man that they saw in the mountain was the Bodhisattva, who made their nine sons and daughters-in-law into eighteen thrushes.

Since then, the eighteen thrushes dwelled around the house, warbling and fighting everyday. Feeling sorry for these birds, the old couple made bird cages for them to stay. This is the reason why the Miao people like to raise thrushes at home.

Once in Maige, you will like this beautiful ethnic village and want to visit other Miao tribes to see their extraordinary silver jewelry.

England’s Attractions Outside Of London

England is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, and this is mostly due to it’s rich history which has resulted in wondrous tourist attractions galore.

London is home to a great many of these monuments of history, however there is still a great wealth of them outside the capital and in fact, all over the country.

One of the most famous stone monuments in history is located in Wiltshire and has been the subject of much speculation over many years. There is still no solid evidence of why it was built or when, but historians believe that it once served as a burial ground and is around 5500 years old.

The completion of the monument is thought to have happened over a period of between 1500 and 6500 years, and the stones themselves are thought to have been carried down from Wales. Although how they were carried is still a mystery.

People have since tried to recreate the carrying of the stones along the path that the men of history are though to have taken, using only the equipment that they would have had, but carrying stones that weigh several tons each and crossing rivers and ditches is apparently beyond people of the modern age.

Another part of England’s history is the famous tale of Robin Hood. In the city of Nottingham where his deeds are said to have taken place, you can visit his statue near the castle in the city centre and visit Sherwood forest, his supposed hideout. It hasn’t been proven whether the tales of Robin Hood are based on fact, or are entirely fictional, but there are certainly many historical references to him in various pieces of literacy, some dating back as far as the 13th century.

Stratford-upon-Avon is a place that hold significant historical wonder and irreplaceably adds to England’s catalogue of rich history and heritage because it is of course, the birth place of William Shakespeare. Not only this, but it would be a place worth visiting even if it had no historical relevance whatsoever. It is picturesque little town with cobbled streets and a beautiful walkway along the river Avon, and home to Henley street, the street where arguable the greatest playwright in history was born, and is now one of the most popular places to visit in England, with pavement cafes and street entertainers lining the street.

Part of any great trip to anywhere is great accommodation. England is home to some of the finest hotels in the world and whatever county or city you happen to be travelling to, the chances are that you wont be far from one of them.