Qimu Stone

Qimu Stone

On the sunny side of Mount Tu, west of Qimu Ravine, there stands a huge rock resembling a kind-hearted woman seated on the cliff. This is the legendary stone that transformed from Empress Qimu. A poem by Yuan, a local scholar of the Ming Dynasty, goes: “The land of Mount Tu borders the Huai and sea; for thousands of years the stone mother has stood here. Enduring frost and wind without adornment, she remains unchanged through rain and storm. Alone she sits atop the cliff, gazing at the rivers, dredging the floods to turn them into fertile fields. Though the great task is complete, the days are not without note; she did not begrudge his three absences—truly the virtue of a mother...”

Legend has it that Yu the Great married a daughter of the Tu Mountain tribe. Just four days after their wedding, he left home to control the floods and was away for thirteen years without returning. His wife would gaze southward every day, hoping for his return. But even after waiting endlessly, Yu did not come back. Overcome with longing and devotion, her spirit transformed into stone, seated at the place where she once met Yu in secret. Qimu Stone is a famous scenic spot on Mount Tu. While visitors climb the mountain to pay tribute to Yu, they also come to admire and honor this first queen of the early Xia Dynasty.