Have you ever heard the Asian Koel call “Soigo! Soigo!” when the bayberry flowers bloom? Read this magical and poignant Teochew folk story.

Susan&Amy are sister-in-law

In ancient times, there was a Nanshan Mountain outside the city of Teochew. At the foot of Nanshan Mountain, there lived a family. There were three people in the family, Amy, sister-in-law Susan, and mother-in-law. Amy and Susan were as close as sisters.

They spent the whole day embroidering and serving mother-in-law. For three meals a day, they had to take out dry rice from the porridge. Amy and Susan ate porridge, while mother-in-law ate dry rice.

Susan trained Amy to be an embroidery expert

Susan was a well-known embroidery expert. The flowers she embroidered could attract bees and butterflies, and the sparrows could make cats flutter around them. Amy followed Susan to learn embroidery since she was a child, and Susan taught her wholeheartedly.

She learned to thread a needle at the age of five, to trace flowers at the age of six, to embroider flowers and birds at the age of seven, and to embroider wedding dresses at the age of eight. Embroider peaches and apricots in spring.

In summer, she embroidered golden lotus. Autumn, she embroidered wild chrysanthemum. In winter, she embroidered winter plum. Gradually, the flowers Amy embroidered could attract bees and butterflies, and the sparrows she embroidered could make cats flutter around them. Amy became an embroiderer like her sister-in-law.

“I want to embroider bayberry flowers no matter how dangerous!”

Once, Amy was in a daze beside the flower guide. Her sister-in-law asked:

“Amy, why are you worried?”

“You taught me to embroider ninety-nine kinds of flowers, but I have never embroidered bayberry flowers.”

“It is difficult to embroider bayberry flowers.”

“Why?”

“The bayberry flowers grow in Nanshan. They only bloom when we gather around the fire on New Year’s Eve every year, and they wither in the blink of an eye.”

“I want to embroider its appearance.”

“Do you dare to enter Nanshan late at night?”

“I dare!”

On New Year’s Eve, unexpectedly, Amy really took the flower guide and needle and thread, lit a torch and quietly entered Nanshan. Susan was serving her mother-in-law at home, thinking about Amy.

The rooster crowed for the first time, but no footsteps were heard from the younger sister-in-law. The second time, but no sign of Amy was seen. The rooster crowed for the third time, and the stars in the sky were all asleep. Susan did not sleep all night.

Amy was eaten!

Susan was very worried, so she got up early to wash rice and cook porridge. She closed the door and ran to Nanshan in one breath.

She searched and called out, “Soigo, Soigo (means younger sister-in-law in Teochew)!” She did not hear Amy’s response, but only heard the north wind whistling and the bayberry trees rustling.

Susan turned around one tree after another and finally found the embroidery rule of the younger sister-in-law under the bayberry tree. The blood on the rule stained the bayberry flowers, and Susan understood – Amy was taken away by a tiger! Susan held Amy’s embroidery rule and cried loudly.

Amy became a bird and calling “Soigo!”

Susan held Amy’s embroidery rule and walked through one mountain after another, just to find Amy’s body. After walking for an unknown period of time, Susan suddenly saw a beautiful bird flying behind her.

She climbed a mountain, and the bird circled a mountain. She crossed a ridge, and the bird flew over a ridge. The bird kept calling “Soigo! Soigo!”! The sister-in-law understood that the bird was the incarnation of Amy, and kept urging her to go home to get dry rice and serve her mother-in-law breakfast.

From then on, every time the bayberry blossoms bloomed, the bird always circled a mountain and flew over a ridge, calling “Soigo! Soigo!” non-stop.

Therefore, the Teochew people called this beautiful Koel “Soigo bird”.