Three Monks (1980)

A young monk lives a simple and peaceful life in a temple on the top of a hill. He has one daily task that irks him: he has to haul two buckets of water up the hill. He tries to share the job with another monk who comes to the temple later, but the carrying pole the monks use is only long enough for one bucket. The arrival of a third monk prompts everyone to expect that someone else will take on the chore. Consequently, no one fetches water though everybody is thirsty. At night, a rat comes to scrounge and then knocks the candleholder, leading to a devastating fire in the temple. The three monks finally unite together and make a concerted effort to put out the fire. Since then they understand the old saying "unity is strength" and begin to live a harmonious life. The temple never lacks water again.

Three Monks, directed by late cartoonist A Da, won the best animation film in the first Golden Rooster Awards. Established in 1981 by the China Film Association, the award is so named because 1981, according to Chinese lunar calendar, was the year of rooster. The yearly awards are decided by a special committee composed of film experts.

Three Monks also won a Silver Bear for Short Film at the 32nd Berlin Film Festival in 1982.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao May 27, 2005)