Wong Tai Sin Sign 34 · Emperor Shun Plowing the Fields

This stick tells the story of Shun, one of China's legendary sage emperors from around 2300 BCE. His stepmother and father treated him terribly — they literally tried to kill him multiple times, burning down his granary and attempting to bury him alive in a well. Yet Shun never retaliated or spoke ill of them. Instead, he worked quietly in the fields of Mount Li, practicing radical kindness even toward those who wronged him. The legend says that wild elephants would come help him plow, and birds would weed his crops, because his heart was so pure that even animals trusted him. His reputation for goodness eventually reached the previous emperor, who abdicated in Shun's favor. The story became the ultimate example of how consistent moral behavior, especially in the face of unfairness, eventually transforms everything around you.