Tonggu Rock

Tonggu Rock

Near Shanghuangsha Village in Baishi Township, Lechang, there is a massive limestone karst cave called Tonggu Rock. On the left side of the cave entrance stands a rectangular stone tablet inscribed with four large characters: “小有天源” (A Small Paradise). Three meters inside the entrance on the right, there is an unusual rock, about two square meters in size, shaped like a drum. When struck, it sounds like a bronze drum—hence its name “Bronze Drum Stone.” This cave has thus come to be known as “Tonggu Rock.” The cavern contains a large hall that can accommodate thousands of people. Moreover, a network of large and small interconnected caves crisscrosses throughout. Inside the cave, there are bizarrely shaped stalactites resembling trees, bamboo, shoots, pillars, as well as turtles, lions, tigers, Buddhas, immortals, and more—all vividly lifelike. There’s also an underground river at the bottom of the cave, where the gentle sound of flowing water is very pleasant. The full length of this cave has yet to be fully explored. Legend has it that some people walked for days and nights without reaching the end. Tonggu Rock has long been associated with a beautiful legend.

It was a long, long time ago. In the nearby Shanghuangsha Village, there was a scholar named Outonggu who was exceptionally intelligent and kind-hearted from a young age. He set up a school in the village to teach and nurture others. One year, the region suffered a once-in-a-century severe drought. Rivers dried up, farmlands cracked, and even wells stopped producing water. Outonggu led everyone in searching for water sources and digging wells to save lives. But there was no hope. Everyone became pessimistic and gave up on digging wells to find water, resigned to waiting for death at home. Yet Outonggu remained undeterred and searched alone. One night, he encountered an old man who told him that the only way to get water was to chisel open the mouth of a cave under the rocky mountain near the village—then spring water would gush out abundantly. Outonggu followed the old man’s advice. After seven days and nights of continuous work, he finally broke through the cave, and a clear spring of water immediately surged forth. However, Outonggu collapsed from exhaustion and passed out. The next morning, the villagers noticed a stream of water flowing into the village. Overjoyed, they followed the stream uphill and discovered that the water originated from the very rocky mountain where Outonggu had been “foolishly” chiseling away at the cave to find water. They climbed into the cave entrance and were astonished to find a grand hall big enough to hold a thousand people, as well as a large rock shaped like a drum—but Outonggu was nowhere to be found. Everyone called out his name, “Tonggu, Tonggu,” but all they heard were the cave’s echoing responses. Someone gently tapped the drum-shaped rock—and to their surprise, it emitted a loud, resonant bronze-drum-like sound. From then on, people say that this “bronze drum” is the transformed spirit of Outonggu.