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Little Han loves to draw, but his family is too poor to buy him brushes and inks. One day, he delivers a fine meal to a celebrated painter, after which he sketches in the sand outside. The painter, who happens to be watching, is intrigued and invites Han Gan to return the following day. Han Gan does so and is amazed to find that a table covered with paper, inks and brushes has been prepared for him. Han Gan begins to draw from morning till night. Curiously, he only ever draws horses. As he grows up, Han Gan becomes a great painter. The Emperor himself sends Han to the Academy of Art, where his fellow students ask with some surprise why he always draws his horses tied up. "Because my horses are so alive that they might escape from the paper," Han Gan mysteriously replies. From this time on, strange things are whispered about the horses of Han Gan. It is said that his horses are more real than nature, and that his magic paintbrush is able to bring them to life. Ages 9-12