The big golden bear stood on a cliff, shift ing from foot to foot as he gazed out ove the white-crested waves. His fur was so thick and glossy that you might have thought he was a pampered pet; but a second look would reveal his powerful muscles. He was bigger and stronger by far than an ordinary bear, for he was the great Yu, Emperor of China, in disguise. He had come to this lonely spot to think. His country was being devastated by terrible floods.

       What could he do about it? Who can tame the angry waters? He had tried to use magic clay, clay which would expand to thousands of times its size. With it he had built great dams, but the floods always came back. This time there was far more water than could ever he damned. All he could think of was to topple the mountains, so that the water would drain off to sea. For months and months he had been digging a channel, but the task seemed endless, and still the waters came.;

       At last he had given in. Now, as he looked over the waves, he saw something moving in the sky. It was a huge dragon flying his way. It circled around Yu, then gently landed by his side. Yu recognized it and greeted it warmly; it was a water spirit, which lived in the great storm clouds. Sometimes these dragons could be bad tempered, but this one seemed friendly. Quickly he poured out his troubles to the dragon, who offered to help.

       "You're very kind, dragon, but how can you help?"

       "Like this!" said the dragon, hitting a rock with its tail, which was hard as steel but could twist like a silken cord. The rock broke into hundreds of flying pieces.

       Dragon and bear set to work. The dragon broke the biggest rocks, and the bear moved them away. For three years the pair worked until one last rock remained. The dragon split it, and the waters rolled through the channel they had made - uncovering vast acres of flat, fertile soil. Yu thanked his friend the dragon, then chased away the snakes and evil spirits who had lived on the bed of the sea and caused the floods. From now on people could live and work on the new land in safety.

       At last the Emperor . could take human shape again.& He ordered two surveyors to measure the world. One walked north to south, and the other east to west, and they found that it was the same each way - 233,575 steps. (In those days, the world was square.)

       His son Qi made friends with two winged dragons, and together they explored countries beyond the skies. There they learned the secrets. of science and music, and brought them home to teach their people.