Traditional Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin
Judge Bao and the Black Pot
乌盆记
Judge Bao and the Black Pot (乌盆记, Wūpén jì) is a Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin as a 4-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 2 (Elementary).
Retold from the Judge Bao legends: a poor coal seller is paid with a black pot that whispers 'I'm cold', and only a kind old man can help the shy ghost inside find justice.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — A warm storyteller who sets the scene.
- Old Zhang · 老张 — A poor, kind coal seller who is braver than he thinks.
- Liu Shichang · 刘世昌 — A shy merchant ghost trapped in a black pot.
- Zhao Da · 赵大 — A potter who smiles too much and hides a crime.
- Zhao's Wife · 赵大嫂 — The potter's sharp-tongued wife.
- Judge Bao · 包大人 — The famous fair judge with a black face and a white crescent moon.
- Court Clerk · 衙役 — A court runner who announces and obeys.
4 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Black Pot
黑盆
An old coal seller is paid with a big black pot he never asked for. That night, the pot whispers to him: 'Grandpa, I'm cold.'
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Chapter 2: Grandpa, I'm Cold
爷爷，我冷
Old Zhang warms the shy ghost in the pot and hears how he became one. Then someone starts pounding on the door.
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Chapter 3: The Silent Pot
不说话的盆
In Judge Bao's court, the ghost in the pot will not say a word. Only old Zhang can guess why.
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Chapter 4: Justice at Last
刘先生回家
Under the kiln, Judge Bao finds the truth. Old Zhang asks for a strange reward, and Mr. Liu is warm at last.
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Key words in Judge Bao and the Black Pot
Behind the story
Judge Bao is Bao Zheng (包拯), a real official of the Northern Song dynasty who became a legend for being fair to rich and poor alike. In stories and Peking opera he has a black face and a white crescent moon on his forehead.
The black pot story appears in a Yuan-dynasty play, 盆儿鬼, and in the Judge Bao novel 三侠五义. It also lives on as the Peking opera 乌盆记, where the ghost speaks from the pot to a kind old man.
Did you know?
- Bao Zheng lived from 999 to 1062 and served as an official in Kaifeng, the Song capital.
- Chinese people still say 包公 (Judge Bao) for a fair and fearless official.
- In Chinese opera, a black painted face often shows an honest, upright character.