In Chinese history, honesty and trustworthiness are foundational tenets of life. They are noble qualities and sentiments that convey esteem for others and respect for oneself. People are naturally opposed to the kind of promises that are fake and shallow, and even more so opposed to ugly acts of deceit and treachery.
Here are some of the stories in Chinese history on the value of keeping promises.
The king who cried wolf in Chinese history: A cautionary tale
In Chinese history, there was a King called You of Zhou (796-771 B.C.). To win the smile of his favorite concubine, Bao Si, the king ordered that 20 beacon towers near the capital be lit up. These beacon fires were an established border security measure meant to summon the feudal lords and their armies whenever a foreign enemy was about to invade.
Seeing the beacon fires, the lords rushed with their soldiers to rescue the city. When they arrived they were shocked to find that their capital was safe and sound, and there were no signs of any military invasion or disaster. Bao Si was excited to see the beacons ablaze and laughed with delight. The feudal lords, however, were furious.
Five years later, when the Marquis of Shen together with the Northwestern ethnic group of Quanrong launched a massive attack on Zhou, the beacon fires were kindled once again. This time none of the feudal lords came to the aid of the city, as they did not want to be fooled a second time. As a result, the capital was destroyed, King You was killed, and Bao Si was captured.
A lost swan and an honest envoy
During the Warring States period of Chinese history, the Marquis Wen of Wei (472-396 B.C.) captured a trophy swan and sent a capable envoy named Wu Ze to bring it to Marquis Qi as a gift of friendship. Wu Ze took great care of the swan along the way but unexpectedly, the swan soared into the sky and flew away. How could something so drastic be remedied?
Wu Ze was horrified that the swan escaped. After thinking about it for a long time, he resolutely but nervously came to the palace of Marquis Qi, knelt on his knees, respectfully presented an empty birdcage, and said to the Marquis: “Your Majesty, my King has sent me to bring you a swan.”
When Marquis Qi saw the empty cage, he asked angrily: “Excuse me, where is the swan?” The surrounding ministers also showed anger and disdain.
Wu Ze replied calmly: “I watched over the swan very carefully all along the way, and when I found that the swan was very thirsty, I couldn’t bear it, so I let it out to drink. At that very moment, it escaped and flew into the sky and never came back. I was distraught at the time.
“I thought that there are so many swans in the world, so I might as well buy a similar one and give it to the King, but then I thought about it some more. Wouldn’t this be an act of deception to the King? I blame myself. I can’t even deliver a swan, so it’s better to end my life.
“However, even if I took that action, wouldn’t the story be spread, making others think that the King values birds and beasts more than people? Then I thought, how can I see the King without a swan? It’s better to run away. But wouldn’t this affect the friendly exchanges between the two countries, all because of my actions? In the end, I have no choice but to present an empty birdcage to the King. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
After hearing Wu Ze’s words, Marquis Qi was moved, and instead of blaming Wu Ze, he said to Wu Ze: “Your few words are far better than any swan. I will reward you a hundred acres of land.”
The fisherman and the drowning merchant
A story from the Ming Dynasty’s Liu Bowen (A.D. 1311-1375) in “Yu Li Zi” records a warning:
There was a merchant in Jiyang who was crossing the river when his boat started sinking. He grabbed a hemp rod and shouted for help. A fisherman heard his shouts. The merchant hurriedly shouted: “I am the richest man in Jiyang. If you can save me, I will give you one hundred taels of gold.”
When the merchant was rescued and safely ashore, he turned his back and denied having made the promise. He gave the fisherman only ten taels of gold. The fisherman accused him of going back on his word. The merchant said: “Are you not satisfied? As a fisherman, you are not able to earn much money in your life, and now suddenly, you get ten taels of gold!” The fisherman had no choice but to leave in dismay.
Some time later, the merchant’s boat unexpectedly capsized in the same spot again. When someone tried to save him, the fisherman who had been deceived by the merchant stopped the person and said: “He is the one who refused to keep his word when I saved him before.” In the end, the merchant that had not fulfilled his promise was left to drown.
Translated by Chua BC
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