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T'ang and his mother's house
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Woodcutter T'ang
Woodcutter T'ang is a young man who loves his elderly mother. He works hard to make his mother happy by traveling throughout different cities and cutting wood. -
T'ang's elderly mother
A mother who loves her son. -
T'ang's mother is worried
T'ang's mother begins to worry when her son has not returned home. She asks her neighbor to help look for T'ang. The mother is scared T'ang has been hurt in the mountains. -
Neighbor return to Widow T'ang's home
The neigbor returns to Widow T'ang's home with the torn clothes and axe that he discovered in the mountains. The mother is saddened as she thinks she has lost her son. -
T'ang's mother and neighbor look for T'ang
T'ang's mother is afraid something bad as happened to her son. Her neighbor traveled through the mountains looking for T'ang. The neighbor find some torn clothes and an axe on the ground. The neighbor believed T'ang had been taken by a tiger. -
Li-neng Court Assistant
Li-neng, one of the madarin's court assistants volunteered to go find the tiger. He later realized what he had agreed to do and tried to get out finding the tiger. The judge gave him five days to find the tiger and even had hunters to help. Li-neng did not have any luck finding the tiger in five days and was punished. Li-neng's friends suggested he should runaway to avoid further punishment. Li-neng refused to runaway and leave his family. -
Widow T'ang goes to the city
The mother is angry about her son's death. She travels to the city to meet with the mandarin (Judge) for justice for her son's from the tiger. Judge questioned her concern about a having justice served for a tiger and sent her home, but the mother refused to leave without justice for her son. -
Li-neng prays
After a few days and months later of frustration from not finding the tiger, Li-neng went into a mountain temple to pray. Shortly after, the tiger appears and Li-neng was surprisely not afraid. He talked to the tiger about T'ang and how his mother was really sad and angry. -
"A life for a life"
After Li-neng returned to the city with the tiger the mother cried for justice for her son. The judge said the mother, "A life for a life is the law of the land." The judge told the tiger what he had done and taken from the mother. The judge then and the tiger if he would care for the mother and if so the judge would spare his life. The tiger nodded in agreement and the tiger's life was spared. -
Li-neng returns to the city
Li-neng asked the tiger did he eat the boy. The tiger nodded yes. Li-neng talked with the tiger about how sad Widow T'ang was about losing her only son and the tiger agreed to allow Li-neng to take him back to the city.
