A painting of Nong Yu Chui Xiao by painter Huang Jun. [126.net]

Nong Yu Chui Xiao/An ideal marriage

Nong Yu was a beauty in ancient Chinese myth, who was said to be the daughter of King Mu of the state of Qin in the warring period. At her birth, the king received lots of gifts, while among all the priceless treasure the girl was obsessed by a piece of green jade and could not take her hands off it. Thus the king named the girl Nong Yu, meaning playing with jade.

Nong Yu then grew into a fair lady and was extremely good at playing Xiao, a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. She taught herself to play the instrument and the tune was as clear as the warble of a phoenix. Her father had the craftsman make the jade into the flute and established a building named Feng Lou, literally meaning residence of a phoenix.

In Chinese myth, a dragon is the best company for a phoenix. The Chinese proverb Cheng Long Kuai Xu originated from the story of Nong Yu, meaning a good husband to a fair girl is like a dragon to a phoenix.