The Temple of Heaven used to abound with motherwort and had many herbalists processing and dealing in the medicinal herb, for which sick women came from at over the country.

Beijing people believed the herb came from the immortals. There used to be a village of twenty-odd households, where once an old man died leaving his wife and young daughter in poverty. Before long the old woman fell ill too. The villagers were worried, not to mention the daughter, who wept by her mother every day. When she heard that a wonder drug from the Northern Hills could cure her mother, she made up her mind to go and get some. She said to her mother before she left, "Please don't worry about me. I will return as soon as I get the herb."

"How can I let a young girl go such a long way?" said her mother, upset."
Don't worry," the girl reassured her. "I'm old enough to take care of myself."
She asked somebody to take care of her mother, then went on her trip.

She walked and walked, thinking: "Where are the Northern Hills? They must be to the north." So she headed directly north. After three days' journey she found herself before hills with luxuriant trees and white clouds shrouding them half way up. These must be them, she thought. But where was the way up?

Just as she was wondering, a white-bearded old man came from the opposite direction: She walked up and respectfully greeted him, then asked: "Are these the Northern Hills?"

The old man looked her up and down, then replied, "Yes, but why are you here?"

"My mother is seriously ill. I came for some herbs."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"It is a hard trip. Go up from here, and after seven turns left and eight right you will be at Heaven on Earth, where you can get the herb. But you must be careful. Take pine seeds if you are hungry and spring water if thirsty, and return as soon as you can."

The girl hastily bowed in thanks. She raised her head only to find the old man gone. So she went into the hills following his instructions.

After seven left turns and eight right turns she was exhausted. As she sat down on a boulder she noticed a spring at her feet. She took several mouthfuls from it. Strangely, she found her mind clearer and eyes sharper. Under some weird pine trees close by, she found some pine seeds and ate them up. She felt her strength return. She got to the summit without a stop.
From the summit the view was breathtaking: green peaks and trees half visible in mist and clouds like a wonderland. Ina valley was a moon-shaped pool, its crystal-clear water mirroring the clouds and distant peaks. She looked at herself in the water. To her surprise she found her face no longer racked with grief at her mother's illness but lively and ruddy. No wonder people say the Northern Hills are miraculous, she thought to herself, if even a poor girl like me has changed. The herbs here must be able to cure my mother.
Just then she heard somebody talking behind her. She turned around and saw two angelic girls walking up to her, one in white and the other in bright yellow. Plum flowers embroidered on their dresses made them even more beautiful. Where had they come from in such a remote place as this, she wondered as they approached.

The girl in white broke into a smile and addressed the daughter as "sister". Not knowing what to do, the daughter returned the same greeting. Then the girl in yellow came up and took her hand, asking, "Sister, why are you here?"

The question brought tears to the daughter's eyes. "My mother is seriously ill, and I am here for herbs. Please help me."

"Don't worry," the two girls comforted her. "We will help you. You just stay here and rest." Then they fetched herbs from over the hill and gave them to her, saying," Brew them for your mother. She will soon be well."

The daughter couldn't believe that she had got the herbs so easily and asked, "The old man down there told me only Heaven on Earth had the herbs. Is this the place?"

At this the two girls laughed and pointing to the moon-shaped pool said, "Is that not Heaven on Earth?"

The daughter turned around to look at the pool. It was really like the moon. Delighted, she was about to go but was stopped by the two girls: "Just a minute. Here are some seeds. Take them home and plant them. When anyone else falls ill you needn't make another trip here."

With many thanks the daughter took her leave. Some steps off she turned around. The girls were gone, but by the pine trees beside the pool she saw a crane and a deer.

The daughter hurried home and brewed the herbs, and her mother took the potion. Two days later her mother was up and about. All the villagers came to see her, but none of them could recognize the herb the daughter had brought back. An aged man said, "Since it was brought back by a daughter for her mother, why not call it 'motherwort'?"

Soon the name spread afar.

The daughter gave the seeds to the villagers to plant. Some opened shops selling the herbs, and the village became known throughout the country as "Motherwort Village".

Soon, when the Emperor planned to build the Temple of Heaven, he was told that the village was an auspicious place and that if the temple were built there good harvests would be guaranteed every year. So the emperor fenced the place in for the construction.

Buildings were put up, and the motherwort kept growing. One day when the Emperor came to worship heaven his anger rose at the sight of so many weeds. He ordered his men to root them out. Just then the white-bearded old man reappeared, and with a few whisks of his duster all the motherwort turned into dragon-hair grass, whereupon he disappeared again.

Those working on the weeds immediately reported to the emperor what had happened. The Emperor said, "The dragon-hair grass is not to be touched." So the weeds were protected.

Actually it was still motherwort, which when it is small looks like dragon-hair grass but not when fully grown.