Riding the Wind: Story Plays from Old China by Carol Korty

Amid the daily bustle of a Chinese marketplace, a group of villagers tells four tales featuring strong women. In "Yulan's Search for Beauty," a young woman obtains a potion from an Old One to change her face to one of great beauty, only to become vulnerable to the Emperor's demand of the sacrifice of the most beautiful girl to cure his illness. "The Mysterious Stranger" features the actions of a kind old woman toward a stranger, earning her an unexpected reward. In "Li Chi and the Serpent," a young woman dares to face a monster whom the villagers have been placating with an annual human sacrifice. "The Khan's Daughter" follows a poor shepherd to the court of the great Khan, where he undertakes absurdly difficult challenges to win the princess in marriage -- satisfying her final test of his character.