Kongji and Patzzi
Encyclopedia
Kongji and Patzzi is a traditional Korean
romance
dating from the Joseon Dynasty
. It is the story of humble Kongji's triumph over adversity. The moral
of the story is that good people who think positively and work hard will be happy, as in the proverb
"heaven helps those who help themselves."
One day the newly crowned King invited all the people in the village to a festival. Kongji wanted to go, but her stepmother set her a series of impossible tasks. "You have to fill this pot with water, hull this pile of rice and weave hemp cloth. If you finish your work, you may go to the festival."
The enormous pot had a hole in the bottom. Kongji kept bringing baskets of water but the pot was never filled. A turtle appeared and blocked the hole for her. With his help, Kongji filled the pot with water. A flock of sparrows appeared and peeled the grains of rice with their beaks. A crowd of heavenly maidens helped Kongji to weave the hemp fibers into cloth, completing Kongji's chores. They dressed Kongji with beautiful clothes and a delicate pair of colorful shoes. She was transported to the festival by four men in a magnificent palanquin. Kongji hurried towards the festival.
She became the beauty of the night. Her stepmother and stepsister failed to recognize her. She left when the feast came to an end. As Kongji crossed a bridge, she was surprised by the King's sudden appearance and tripped. One of her shoes fell into the stream. Ashamed, Kongji ran away. The King was intrigued by the beautiful, shy girl. He had the shoe retrieved and vowed to marry the woman it belonged to. Servants tried the shoe on every woman in the village, but it fit only Kongji. The King and Kongji were married.
Patzzi was jealous of Kongji's marriage and drowned her in a pond. Patzzi disguised herself as Kongji to live with the King. Kongji's spirit returned as a sparrow to tell the King of her murder by a sad song. Patzzi killed the sparrow. She returned as a tree. Patzzi had the tree cut down. She appeared at last, as a ghost. The King knowing all soon after, had her body fished from the pond. Kongji miraculously came back to life at his touch.
The King sentenced Patzzi to death and had the servants make sauce from her body. They sent it to the stepmother and had her eat the sauce. Then, they told her of Patzi's fate. When she learned of Patzzi's death, Kongji's stepmother fell in a faint from which she never awoke.
-esque first portion. Although the first part of the story shares elements with the Western fairy tale
Cinderella
, the traditional Korean belief of kwon seon jing ak (권선징악, the importance of encouraging virtue and punishing vice) pervades the traditional tale, coming to fruition with the deserved deaths of Kongji's stepmother and stepsister in the second part of the story.
-si (김제시 금구면 둔산마을). Both Dunsan village and the village in which the novel Kongji and Patzzi is set are shaped like a cow. The turtle which blocked the hole in Kongji's pot is associated with Dunsan's turtle rock. People say that Kongji dropped her shoes in Duwol (두월) brook outside Dunsan.
Composer: Kim Dai-Hyun (1917 ~) , 『 Kongji Patji 』 4 Acts
First Performance :1951. 12. 20. Busan Theater.
Length : 2hours 30minutes
"Heavy-metal Kongji" by Cherry Filter
"Kongjwi Patjwi" (1958), directed by Yun Bong-Chun.
"Kongjwi Patjwi" (1967), directed by Jo Keung-Ha.
"My Love Patzzi
" (2006-2007), produced by Lee Jin-Suk.
"All My Love
" (2010-2011), produced by Kwon Ik Joon
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
romance
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
dating from the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. It is the story of humble Kongji's triumph over adversity. The moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
of the story is that good people who think positively and work hard will be happy, as in the proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
"heaven helps those who help themselves."
Plot summary
Once there was a kind, pretty girl named Kongji who lived in a village. Her mother died when Kongji was 100 days old. When she was fourteen, her father married a widow who had a daughter of the same age, Patzzi. Her father died soon after. Her stepmother and Patzzi treated Kongji very unfairly. One day, her stepmother forced her to plow a field with a wooden hoe. The hoe soon broke, leaving Kongji in tears. A cow appeared and plowed the field in her place. Kongji returned home with a basket of apples, a gift from the cow. Her stepmother accused her of stealing the apples and gave the entire basket to Patzzi.One day the newly crowned King invited all the people in the village to a festival. Kongji wanted to go, but her stepmother set her a series of impossible tasks. "You have to fill this pot with water, hull this pile of rice and weave hemp cloth. If you finish your work, you may go to the festival."
The enormous pot had a hole in the bottom. Kongji kept bringing baskets of water but the pot was never filled. A turtle appeared and blocked the hole for her. With his help, Kongji filled the pot with water. A flock of sparrows appeared and peeled the grains of rice with their beaks. A crowd of heavenly maidens helped Kongji to weave the hemp fibers into cloth, completing Kongji's chores. They dressed Kongji with beautiful clothes and a delicate pair of colorful shoes. She was transported to the festival by four men in a magnificent palanquin. Kongji hurried towards the festival.
She became the beauty of the night. Her stepmother and stepsister failed to recognize her. She left when the feast came to an end. As Kongji crossed a bridge, she was surprised by the King's sudden appearance and tripped. One of her shoes fell into the stream. Ashamed, Kongji ran away. The King was intrigued by the beautiful, shy girl. He had the shoe retrieved and vowed to marry the woman it belonged to. Servants tried the shoe on every woman in the village, but it fit only Kongji. The King and Kongji were married.
Patzzi was jealous of Kongji's marriage and drowned her in a pond. Patzzi disguised herself as Kongji to live with the King. Kongji's spirit returned as a sparrow to tell the King of her murder by a sad song. Patzzi killed the sparrow. She returned as a tree. Patzzi had the tree cut down. She appeared at last, as a ghost. The King knowing all soon after, had her body fished from the pond. Kongji miraculously came back to life at his touch.
The King sentenced Patzzi to death and had the servants make sauce from her body. They sent it to the stepmother and had her eat the sauce. Then, they told her of Patzi's fate. When she learned of Patzzi's death, Kongji's stepmother fell in a faint from which she never awoke.
Features
The legend of Kongji and Patzzi was passed down orally for many generations before it was first recorded, producing numerous regional variations. For example, some versions of the story cast a frog in place of the turtle as Kongji's helper, while others have been reduced to the CinderellaCinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
-esque first portion. Although the first part of the story shares elements with the Western fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
, the traditional Korean belief of kwon seon jing ak (권선징악, the importance of encouraging virtue and punishing vice) pervades the traditional tale, coming to fruition with the deserved deaths of Kongji's stepmother and stepsister in the second part of the story.
Setting
Although the story itself contains fantastic elements, its setting is believed to be the real-life village of Dunsan, Keumgu Township, GimjeGimje
Gimje is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea.-History:Gimje area has been cultivated since ancient times.Nations of early date ascend in year 200...
-si (김제시 금구면 둔산마을). Both Dunsan village and the village in which the novel Kongji and Patzzi is set are shaped like a cow. The turtle which blocked the hole in Kongji's pot is associated with Dunsan's turtle rock. People say that Kongji dropped her shoes in Duwol (두월) brook outside Dunsan.
Adaptations
- Opera
Composer: Kim Dai-Hyun (1917 ~) , 『 Kongji Patji 』 4 Acts
First Performance :1951. 12. 20. Busan Theater.
Length : 2hours 30minutes
- Popular Music
"Heavy-metal Kongji" by Cherry Filter
- Film
"Kongjwi Patjwi" (1958), directed by Yun Bong-Chun.
"Kongjwi Patjwi" (1967), directed by Jo Keung-Ha.
- Television
"My Love Patzzi
My Love Patzzi
My Love, Patji , alternative title "My Love Cindy", alternative title "My Feisty Girl" . Written by Kim Yi-young, and produced by Lee Jin-suk.-Synopsis:...
" (2006-2007), produced by Lee Jin-Suk.
- "Television"
"All My Love
All My Love
All My Love may refer to:* All My Love , a 2010 South Korean sitcom* "All My Love" , a 1950 song popularized by Patti Page, recorded by many artists* "All My Love" , a song by Led Zeppelin...
" (2010-2011), produced by Kwon Ik Joon