![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibl9jxAc_Rrr3i68-btwSJHi4mRA_JBlwsiCQKRsJdVX3eC28ZW4ZvsteXy6J2PFK0TWTY52KCtTEOA6TM250eH6h2CDAL6xN5Uo9hGp6BgOmCMxctY_p7sE34KqOnOGH-glOutjhqcQ4/s400/4thQ-dragon-blog.jpg)
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conversation between the young man and
his poor aged mother as she urges him
to seek help by asking a question of
the wisest man in the kingdom.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGAa90rDG9ZLRn2Rc9ZSOrcPyHBDeVshyphenhypheni9VWB6E1BNLhaeHC4lI_XRGIVaQoJ1bPhY9x8R7sCrBYbUy7g76JZKhyka7Il8hs1NmyfqSXFUXHqNbRMUtgk4XRR92nGLGytRYHeTNy8o4/s320/4thQ-turtlecircle-blog.jpg)
In this circle,the young man is sitting on a rock beside a huge river that he cannot cross.
I put a tortoise next to him, it is symbol in Chinese art of wisdom and divining the future.
I enjoyed adding details to the art that were a result of my research into Chinese art history and the symbolic meanings of animals in art.
Here is a spread showing the palace of the wisest man in the kingdom, this is where the young man must gain entry to ask his questions. I used my own photos from my trip to China for this. I had seen the Forbidden City in Beijing and it is full of marble lions and dragons. Also there is the famous Nine Dragon Wall made of glazed ceramic tile where I got my idea for the bright blue and gold dragon that is a main character in this story.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYT4G21WKdlBUYK7ItYEUZ6mBZb9KJ-cEY1wkCpZCgvm4cFd1dgN6AZNc49oq7CoNoncOoDhSwa2tkB6qa6kO3P-yvLAk245BBCoFHfvepLZbI3P26sZWhNFWHNa1-04Tgs73Zvy1cR8/s400/4thQ-palace-blog.jpg)
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And now the last page, a spread with all the elements of a happy ending. The aged mother is enjoying prosperity with her grandchildren, the young man has a beautiful wife, they live in the same little house but it is fixed up nicely, and all is well, even the family pig has babies.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzpqgy8oXzdpvfhtN3ltAwp6vivXd7TsOtxx_DTk8upw8wRuE2oibEVE6mSGvXEavY9mMQOk3RlWtMjYPBJiVwrxvUQi8N1Urvq840Nz1pvHlEjhkOoCEe_B0blgdr76iESe5yv9dSxU/s400/4thQ-last-pg-blog.jpg)