Eagle Rock by the Flood River

Eagle Rock by the Flood River

Eagle Rock by the Flood River

When visiting the ancient Flood Camp and returning along the rural road from Sanjiao to the Hot Springs, you can see an astonishing sight — Eagle Rock at Flood Dam. Its shape closely resembles a nesting eagle. So many eggs have it got that its massive wings appear arched upward, as if pushed up by them. With its sharp eyes wide open, it vigilantly watches its surroundings, displaying the eagle’s resolute and tenacious expression. Its head faces Kaiyang on the opposite bank of the Hot Springs River, its mouth slightly open as if it has just eaten, though its lower beak is chipped and uneven. Its tail points toward Flood Dam, and its entire body runs parallel to the ancient Flood Camp, forming a natural barrier over a thousand meters long that almost entirely obscures the view of the ancient camp. On the side facing the road from the Hot Springs to Sanjiao, several exposed strip-shaped rocks resemble the feathers on the eagle’s huge wings, which have already turned somewhat whitish.

Legend has it that long ago, the Yongsha Dam on the opposite side of the river in Kaiyang had abundant water sources, and large areas of flat land were cultivated as farmland. Yet after a year of hard work, farmers were left with fields full of useless weeds. Puzzled, they abandoned the land after a few years. It is said that a feng shui master, whose origins are unknown, passed through the area and claimed that the grain the locals planted was being eaten by an eagle from far away in Xifeng County. The eagle’s droppings, however, fertilized the land at Flood Dam.

Coincidentally, the land around Flood Dam, which the eagle’s tail faces, is indeed prosperous and fertile. The area is home to three wealthy families with many tenant farmers, enjoying the blessings of thriving livestock and bountiful harvests year after year. Thus, the feng shui master summarized: “This eagle eats from Yongsha Dam and excretes on Flood Dam.” The people of Yongsha Dam firmly believed this and sought the master’s guidance. The feng shui master then vividly described the situation in great detail...

In the first lunar month of the following year, the people of Yongsha Dam organized dozens of dragon lanterns and went to Flood Dam to “pay tribute.” The wealthy families of Flood Dam slaughtered pigs and sheep to “set up the stage” (hosting a banquet at night).

While the Yongsha Dam group energetically performed the dragon dance and shouted auspicious phrases — “The dragon lanterns dance round and bright, may your sons and grandsons become top scholars...” — someone secretly climbed up Eagle Rock, entered the eagle’s mouth, and filled it with homemade black powder. To distract the people of Flood Dam and cover the sound of the powder, the dragon performers called out especially frequently and played the drums and gongs especially loudly, delighting the hosts.

With a muffled boom, the eagle’s lower beak was gone. Realizing their plan had succeeded, the dragon performers moved on to the next step: opening the wealth gate and sending the god of wealth for the hosts. This was followed by admiring the lanterns, and everyone gathered at the table for food, drinks, and drinking games. It wasn’t until three or four in the morning that the Yongsha Dam group finally left, and the people of Flood Dam soon fell asleep, having no idea what had happened.

The next day, someone from Flood Dam who had been away returned and noticed that the “eagle’s” lower beak was missing, prompting others to go and see what had happened. The blasted area oozed yellow liquid, which people said was the eagle’s blood. This “blood” flowed for over a month. Though the eagle’s beak had been blown off, the people of Flood Dam did not become poor as a result — their harvests remained bountiful and their livestock thriving. Likewise, the Yongsha Dam in Kaiyang did not suddenly grow better crops. It wasn’t until the 1980s, during the reform and opening-up period, with advancements in agricultural science and technology, that people improved the soil and transformed those abandoned lands into fertile fields. Unfortunately, the once mighty eagle with its missing beak could no longer be seen in its former glory.