Male and Female Rock of Liangsan

Male and Female Rock of Liangsan

On the cool hills of Liangshan Ridge in the northwest corner of Liangsan Township, Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County, stand two massive rocks. One is broad at the top and narrow at the bottom, resembling a giant holding up an umbrella, standing solemnly atop the peak; the other is graceful and elegant, like a beautiful woman standing tall on the cliff beside the summit. People call them the Male Rock and the Female Rock.

Legend has it that long, long ago, at the foot of Liangshan Ridge there was a village called Fengmusheng. In the village lived a hardworking, simple, and honest young man named Manlang. Across the river was another village called Zizhuping, where the daughter of a wealthy landlord named Yeniang lived. Manlang came from a poor family and had worked herding cattle and helping out since childhood in Yeniang’s home. As children, Manlang and Yeniang were very close and often played together. Every time Manlang drove the cattle down from the mountain, he would pick wildflowers and fruits for Yeniang. Although Yeniang grew up in a rich family, she had none of the spoiled airs of a young lady and often insisted on going up the mountain to play with Manlang. Sometimes, she even secretly gave him rice cakes from home. Truly, they were childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree. As they grew older, their hearts became connected by an invisible thread. They often secretly met, poured out their feelings, and vowed to be together forever, never to part. When Yeniang’s parents found out, they called Manlang over, scolded him harshly, drove him out of the house, and forbade him from ever setting foot in Zizhuping again. At the same time, they locked Yeniang in her embroidered chamber under the watch of maids. Then, through the matchmaking of the matchmaker Kama, they found Yeniang a husband—a man three times her age. The wedding was set for the third day of the third lunar month. Yeniang adamantly refused, crying as if her heart would break. Meanwhile, Manlang gazed toward Zizhuping, thinking of Yeniang, and fell ill from longing, growing thinner day by day.

On the third day of the third lunar month, Yeniang’s wedding day arrived. No matter how she resisted, she was eventually forced into a bridal sedan chair and carried away.

As the bridal procession crossed the West Creek and climbed Liangshan, suddenly Yeniang leapt out of the sedan, shouting Manlang’s name as she desperately ran toward the top of Liangshan. The bridal party chased after her frantically, but before they could catch her, Yeniang floated down like a red leaf from the cliffside of the mountaintop. At that moment, a flash of white light appeared in the sky, the earth suddenly split open with a loud crack, thunder roared incessantly, rain poured down through the fissure, and the ground shook violently. All the members of the bridal party were thrown off the cliff. In the blink of an eye, Fengmusheng, Zizhuping, and the entire Liangsan region were submerged under water, turning into a vast heavenly lake. People and Manlang walked around the boundless lake, calling Yeniang’s name and searching for her. They searched for seven days and seven nights but never found any trace of her.

In order to find Yeniang and help the disaster victims rebuild their homes, Manlang resolved to dig a gap in the northern part of the lake to drain the water. He dug day and night, exhausted, but the gap in the mountain showed no sign of opening. Yet he did not lose heart or give up, and continued digging persistently. Perhaps his spirit moved the gods, because one day, as he was digging with all his might, the northern part of the lake turned bright red, followed by a loud boom. The mountain gap in the north cracked open, and the water of the heavenly lake surged out violently through the fissure.

The water of the heavenly lake gradually receded. Manlang, holding an umbrella, searched everywhere for traces of Yeniang. When the water receded to the halfway point of the cliff on Liangshan Ridge, he saw Yeniang’s slender figure lying quietly beside an ancient pine on the cliff, a sweet smile on her face, as if nothing had happened. Seeing this, Manlang called out Yeniang’s name and rushed toward the cliff, leaping off it to be with her…

From then on, this devoted couple turned into a pair of stone statues, standing majestically on the picturesque peak of Liangshan. People call them the Male Rock and the Female Rock. Their sincere love has moved generations of young men and women. To commemorate them, every year on the third day of the third lunar month, local youths dress up, gather friends, and come here to meet, sing, and enjoy themselves to the fullest. Year after year, this gradually became a local tradition.

To this day, the uniquely shaped Male and Female Rocks still stand atop Liangshan, forming a rare and spectacular sight. The ancient folk legend attracts visitors from far and wide, all eager to catch a glimpse of their timeless beauty.