Dragon Ridge Stone

Dragon Ridge Stone is a Brocatello stone ridge in the center of Yangtze River in Yunyang County. It is more than 200 meters long and over 10 meters wide.

Origin of Dragon Ridge Stone's Name

Before the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, it always appeared in the dry seasons of winter and spring, and then lay under the water in other seasons, thus forming two islands respectively in the east and in the west. When the water level was low, the two islands integrated each other, just like a white dragon diving in the Yangtze River, thus it got its name as Dragon Ridge Stone.

Legend about Dragon Ridge Stone

It is said that once a dragon broke the rules of Dragon Palace and was punished to stay in the mortal world. However, he still did evils in the mortal world. So Emperor Jade (the supreme Deity of Taoism) sent Dayu (a man in the ancient times famous for controlling floods) to punish him with a golden ax. The giant dragon rolled up and down in the river, which led to serious floods. So Dayu pinned the evil dragon up with a holy nail. At this time, the river suddenly calmed down and the dragon became a stone ridge with a length of over 200 meters and a width of more than 10 meters.

Attractions of Dragon Ridge Stone

According to the historical record, the area of Dragon Ridge Stone was already a perfect resort for spring outing in history. Each spring, people would come here for picnic, writing poems and essays and divining whether it would be a bumper year. As a result, stone inscriptions can be widely seen on the Dragon Ridge Stone. There are altogether over 170 stone inscriptions since 1088 in northern Song Dynasty, among which are 68 hydrological stone inscriptions in 53 dry years. The Chinese characters of these stone inscriptions are as large as gourd ladles while the small ones are as small as grains. Styles of calligraphy of seal character, official script, regular script and running script can all be found here.

There is a small hole on the Dragon Ridge Stone with a diameter of about 30 centimeters. It is said to be the navel of the dragon. Many visitors come to the small hole and put some money into it, which is said helpful to prevent stomachache.