Immortal Turtle Stone

Immortal Turtle Stone

Immortal Turtle Stone

In the river valley of Jinghua Mountain lies a massive, round fossil resembling a turtle, which locals call the “Immortal Turtle Stone.” This stone is the largest monolithic free-standing rock in the area, and it strikingly resembles a giant turtle lying in the river valley—so lifelike that all who see it are amazed. The Turtle Stone also has a magical legend: it is said that long, long ago, an immortal turtle in heaven violated celestial rules and was banished by the Jade Emperor to the mortal realm as punishment. It had to undergo three hundred years of atonement before it could return to the heavens. When the period of atonement was over, the turtle found Penghua—a place of outstanding natural beauty, like a paradise on earth—and was so enchanted that it no longer wished to return. After a thousand years, it transformed into a stone turtle and remains forever in the Pengshan River valley, aging alongside the heavens.