TALES OF THE 24 EXEMPLARS: YANG XIANG

YANG XIANG WRESTLED WITH A TIGER TO SAVE HIS FATHER
This story is about Yang Xiang who at fourteen years of age saved his father from a tiger. On the day of the incident, Yang Xiang had followed his father to work in the paddy fields . Suddenly a tiger appeared out of nowhere and carried the boy's father in his mouth to head back to the forest. Hearing his father's cry for help, Yang Xiang saw the big cat carrying the old man away. Without a second thought, he did not think about his own safety but instead confronted the tiger. He leapt on the tiger' s back and used every ounce of strength to overpower the beast. Frightened by the ferocity of the young boy's attack, the tiger put its tail between its legs and ran for its life. Yang Xiang had saved his father from being devoured by the tiger. He later carried the old man back to the village to recover. News of his bravery spread about the act of filial piety shown by Yang Xiang and I guess the author of The 24 Exemplars got wind of it as well and recorded it in his text


Somehow, I have a hunch that by the time the story reached the author, it had been reinterpreted and also altered to add more oomph to it.