Unit 2 C Reading time (P24-25)
The Story of Nian
Scene 1: The Old Man Comes to the Village
Long long ago, there was a monster called Nian. Every year, on the last day of the year, Nian came down from the mountain and ate people and animals. The villagers were very afraid.
One day, an old man came to the village. The villagers were all running away. "Run! The monster is coming!" they shouted. But the old man stayed. "I will stay here," he said calmly.
Scene 2: The Monster Is Afraid
That night, Nian came to the village as usual. But this time, something was different. The old man had pasted red paper on every door. He had lit candles everywhere. The village was full of red and light!
Nian was very afraid! The monster hated the colour red and bright lights! Nian turned around and ran away as fast as it could.
Scene 3: The Villagers Are Safe
The next morning, the villagers came back. They were surprised to see that everything was safe! The old man told them the secret: Nian was afraid of the colour red and bright lights.
From then on, every New Year, people pasted red fu on doors, lit fireworks, and dressed in red. That is how the Spring Festival began! And Nian never came back again.
The Story of Nian 年兽的故事
The legend of Nian is one of the most famous Chinese stories. Nian was a scary monster that came every New Year's Eve. An old man discovered that Nian was afraid of red colour, loud noises, and bright lights. So people pasted red paper, lit fireworks, and stayed up late — and these became Spring Festival traditions!