In Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, there is a mountain called Ban Pin Shan, meaning ‘one half’. Strange name for an ordinary mountain, you might think.

But take one look at it and you will see why it is called so. It looks like one half of the mountain is missing! Almost as if someone has cut off the top neatly, with a big sword. Before you start to wonder how it got its name, let me tell you the legend behind it.

Long, long ago, when Ban Pin Shan was still a whole mountain, there used to be a village near it. One day, a very old man came to the village carrying a huge pot on his head.

His hair was white as snow, and so was his beard. His face was wrinkled like the old, worn-out clothes he wore. He set the pot down in the village square and opened the lid.