Stone Stepping Stones

Stone Stepping Stones

Stone Stepping Stones

Dajingzhai and Xiaojingzhai face each other across the river. Due to the wide riverbed and deep water without a bridge, it was inconvenient for villagers from both settlements to cross, and merchants and travelers were often hindered. In the seventh year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty, local residents pooled funds to build a set of stone stepping stones connecting the two banks. The stone stepping stones consist of

97

stone slabs, each about

3

meters

long,

10

over ten centimeters

40

thick, and weighing over a thousand pounds. The stepping stones protrude about

40

centimeters above the water surface, spaced

40

centimeters apart. They resemble a hundred-meter-long dragon slicing through the emerald waves, with its body submerged underwater and its back exposed above the river—a truly spectacular sight. Legend has it that the stone slabs were transported by a divine strongman named Zou Anhu from Maoping, several kilometers away from Dajing. He carried one slab at a time, moving swiftly through the rugged mountains. To this day, the stone stepping stones remain very sturdy, and people can still freely walk across them. Bold visitors who stop midway along the stones can look down to watch fish swimming near the riverbed; look up to see eagles soaring in the sky; gaze upstream to admire the sparkling waves under the green hills, where three rustic waterwheels creak and turn, singing the beautiful and age-old melodies of the Buyi ethnic group’s ancient songs; or look downstream to see shimmering blue waters surrounded by green bamboo, with ancient tung trees deeply rooted and their branches forming a canopy that blocks out the sun. On the river’s surface, fish leap above the water while bamboo rafts drift leisurely. It's a picturesque scene reminiscent of a Jiangnan water town—truly enchanting and unforgettable.