0:00:09 > 0:00:13Here they come! My two intrepid explorers -
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Charlotte and Elliot.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18I'm their great aunt Lizzie, you see.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22And I wonder which one is coming to see me today...
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Ah! So, it's Elliot's turn.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Here he comes!
0:00:26 > 0:00:31Racing to hear another tale from an epic adventurer.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34CLINK, CLINK, CLINK!
0:00:44 > 0:00:47And what wonderful adventures they were!
0:00:47 > 0:00:51So long ago and so far away...
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I collected a few souvenirs along the way.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05But my most precious possession of all is my extraordinary
0:01:05 > 0:01:08collection of teacups.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27You've still got your coat on, Elliot. Come on!
0:01:27 > 0:01:31No time to count the clouds. We've got stories to tell!
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Now, let's have a lovely cup of tea.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- But first, we need...- A teacup!
0:01:45 > 0:01:47But which one?
0:01:59 > 0:02:01That one!
0:02:01 > 0:02:02Mmm...
0:02:05 > 0:02:07The Abacus.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09What a choice, Elliot.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I do really love that story.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22This will be just perfect to drink now.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29So, are you ready?
0:02:29 > 0:02:30Ready!
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Then let me tell you the story of Great Aunt Lizzie
0:02:34 > 0:02:37And The Adventure Of The Amazing Abacus.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Ahem, ahem!
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Oh, yes, of course!
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Let me tell you the story of Elliot
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And The Adventure Of The Amazing Abacus.
0:02:47 > 0:02:54It all started long, long ago in the magnificent Empire of China,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57with its towering Himalayan mountains,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00lush scented fields and thick green forests...
0:03:04 > 0:03:08MAGICAL ADVENTURE MUSIC
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Having walked for days over misty mountains and marshes,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20in among the cherry trees and pagodas,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Elliot came one bright morning to a village.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Streets of neat little houses
0:03:26 > 0:03:30butted against each other, vying for space.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33On a corner was a woman.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36She was holding a wooden frame with beads
0:03:36 > 0:03:40and trying to attract the attention of anyone who came past.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Ladies! Gentlemen! Roll up!
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Roll up! Ladies! Gentlemen!
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Let me work for you. Me and my amazing abacus!
0:03:50 > 0:03:53When along came a farmer, carrying some rice to market...
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Sir, please give me a job. My abacus and I can count for you.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01We can count your farm animals, your sacks of rice, anything!
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Oh, I can count my own sack of rice, thank you.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08One! There we are.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Counted it! Urgh, and it's heavy! I need to get on.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- SHE SIGHS - No-one wants to give me a chance.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22But Elliot had a pretty good idea as to how the young woman
0:04:22 > 0:04:25could find someone to give her a chance.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Hello. I have an idea.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- What you could do is... - Give up...- No.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36You could show other people how to use the abacus.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- What's the point in that? Everyone knows how an abacus works.- I don't.
0:04:40 > 0:04:46Really? OK. The lower deck has five beads on each rod.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51One, two, three, four, five.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55When I get to five, I move this one here and I put those back.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I move one of these here and I put these back.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05You can add one or take one away.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08All in a blink of an eye! You try.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12So, it was Elliot's turn. And he snapped the beads
0:05:12 > 0:05:16up and down the rails that filled the dark wooden frame.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20They were enjoying themselves so much that they never noticed
0:05:20 > 0:05:23they were being watched by a man called Mr Pang.
0:05:23 > 0:05:29One, two, three, four, five, six...
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- Seven! Seven is the answer! - Right again!
0:05:33 > 0:05:37So, if I begin with 167 coins
0:05:37 > 0:05:41and sell a parcel of silk for 125,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44you can tell me how much I have now?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46BEADS SNAP
0:05:48 > 0:05:54- 292.- Hmm! My name's Mr Pang. Do you want to work for me?
0:05:54 > 0:05:59Mr Pang, the silk merchant? But I know nothing about silk.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I need someone to count up and keep track of my money
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and my rolls of silk.
0:06:04 > 0:06:10- Then I'm your woman. Bo-Shun's the name.- Good. You're hired, Bo-Shun.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- I'll leave you to it. Bye! - Bye!- Bye-bye.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17While Mr Pang told Bo-Shun about her brand-new job,
0:06:17 > 0:06:23Elliot headed off to explore and enjoy the peace of the village.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- That was until he was disturbed... - CRASHING
0:06:27 > 0:06:31..by what can only be described as a wee spot of bother.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- Hello, Mrs Jing.- Oh, hello, Jiang.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37You sold your sack of rice. Well done!
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Here are the four coins you lent me
0:06:40 > 0:06:43plus another 20 I want you to look after.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44OK, certainly.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Thank you, Mrs Jing. I'll see you tomorrow.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- COINS SCATTER - Oh, dear, dear...
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Elliot could see that the old lady could do with a bit of help.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05- Excuse me, can I help you? - Oh, please. You're very kind!
0:07:05 > 0:07:10- That looks very awkward.- This is how I keep everybody's money.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12And you have to carry it around all day?
0:07:12 > 0:07:16How else would I keep track of what belongs to who?
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Jiang there, this is his string and this is my string.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- It's quite simple. - Couldn't you write it all down?
0:07:24 > 0:07:29I tried that, but when I got home, I couldn't add all the money.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I kept getting it in a muddle.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36And that was when Elliot had one of his brilliant ideas.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- You need an abacus. - What's an abacus?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42It's for doing number things without the muddle.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45So you can write down what people give you and add it up at home.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50You mean I wouldn't have to carry all this weight around ever again?
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- Where can I get one?- I think my friend, Bo-Shun, will know.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Mrs Jing looked as if the greatest weight in the world
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- had been lifted from her shoulders. - I'll be right back.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06Now, Elliot thought getting an abacus for the old woman would be
0:08:06 > 0:08:07as easy as 1-2-3.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11But of course, it was never going to be as easy as that.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14He hurried back to where Bo-Shun had been working.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18But the only person there was the silk merchant, Mr Pang.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Excuse me. Do you know we're Bo-Shun is?
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Yes. She works for me now. She's gone to my office in Beijing.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Beijing? That was miles and miles away!
0:08:28 > 0:08:30It wasn't long past breakfast
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and already things were getting complicated.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37- He had learnt from Bo-Shun how to use the abacus.- Right again!
0:08:37 > 0:08:42He had helped Mrs Jing as she struggled with strings of coins.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- You're very kind! - He'd had the brilliant idea of
0:08:45 > 0:08:48using an abacus to add up at the end of the day.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And he had thought that getting an abacus would be a doddle.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56He couldn't go back to Mrs Jing without the abacus, could he?
0:08:56 > 0:09:00There was nothing else for it but to get his skates on -
0:09:00 > 0:09:03to Beijing, to the silk merchant's office.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12So, off went Elliot in his old, battered boots.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17He scrambled up the misty mountain paths until,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20when he was almost out of breath,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- the path ran out! - ROCKS TUMBLE
0:09:26 > 0:09:28- BIRD CRY ECHOES - There was only one way
0:09:28 > 0:09:30to get to the other side...
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Elliot took a deep breath.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47DRAMATIC MUSIC
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Safely across, Elliot set off once more
0:09:58 > 0:10:03and soon emerged from the forest to see the magnificent city of Beijing.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12But there was no time to stand and stare.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Elliot had to get that abacus.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20In a narrow street of ornate buildings,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Elliot arrived at the silk merchant's office.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- Hello, Elliot. What brings you all this way?- I need a favour.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31There's an old lady who needs an abacus
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and you're the only person who'd know where to get one.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38But I don't! There must be an abacus maker in Beijing
0:10:38 > 0:10:40but I don't know where.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45OK, thanks. I'd better go and find somebody who does. Bye.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Hang on a minute. You've travelled such a long way.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52I wouldn't even have this job if you hadn't helped me. Have mine.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- I'll buy a new one.- But you said you didn't know where to get one.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00No, but in a job like this, I need to find out. Take it!
0:11:00 > 0:11:03It's the one you learnt on, so you'll be able to show the old lady
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- how to use it.- The minute I get a new one, I'll give it back to you.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- You can keep it. It's the least I can do.- Thank you!
0:11:11 > 0:11:14I'm going to treat myself to a brand-new one.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- Bye!- Good luck!
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Back came Elliot in his old, battered boots,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31over the open fields and down the mountainside.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38And before he knew it, there he was, back in the village
0:11:38 > 0:11:40where it all started.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43I've got it!
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Oh, my! Thank you!
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And you can teach me how to use it?
0:11:49 > 0:11:52It's wonderful!
0:11:52 > 0:11:55One, two, three, four, five...
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05You can start using the abacus any time you want.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09- Why don't we sit down first and have a cup of tea?- Yes, let's!
0:12:13 > 0:12:16And that was that. The whole kit and caboodle.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Elliot And The Adventure Of The Amazing Abacus.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23- Bo-Shun is very clever with her abacus.- What about you?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26You were clever to realise how she could show it off best.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- Moving the beads is a great way to count.- I know.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33In parts of Asia and Africa, they still count by using an abacus
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and they do their sums quicker on an abacus
0:12:35 > 0:12:38- than we could on a calculator. - Really?
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Well, I'll be blowed. Is that the time already? Come on.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Your mum will be here in a minute.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Your coat.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Now, how did that get there?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Home time now, Elliot.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- Thanks, Great Aunt Lizzie! - Cheery-bye, Elliot!