Star City Immortal Bridge

　　In the past, there was no bridge over the Lianshui River in the Loudi area, so travelers had to rely on ferries. These ferries were owned by a local landlord. The landlord did not maintain the boats out of kindness or virtue, but rather to exploit the people and profit from their misfortune. The poor suffered greatly under his exploitation and longed for a proper bridge to be built to make crossing easier for everyone.

　　The wishes of the people reached the ears of seven fairies from heaven. Determined to build a stone bridge over the Lianshui River, the sisters secretly descended to Earth every night to quarry stones from Dashishan Mountain and transport them to Qinglong Ferry. They would return to heaven at the first crow of the rooster each morning. However, their secret was discovered by the landlord. Furious that the fairies were cutting off his source of income, he resolved to sabotage their efforts.

　　One evening, as the seven fairies were working together to carry two large foundation stones to Meizi Bay, they suddenly heard the crow of a rooster. Realizing someone was causing trouble and that the bridge could not be completed, they angrily hurled the large stones in the direction of the sound and returned to heaven. It turned out that the landlord, hoping to disrupt the bridge construction, had been waiting by the riverbank after dark. As soon as he saw the fairies carrying the large stones, he imitated a rooster’s crow. Suddenly, one of the heavy stones fell from above and struck him on the head, crushing him to death.

　　The two massive stones landed on opposite sides of the stream in Meizi Bay, connecting across the water and forming a single-arch bridge. With the gentle babble of the stream below and the uniquely shaped stone ridges of the bridge, people carved the words “Immortal Bridge” onto it. Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, locals often set up vegetarian offerings by the bridge to honor the fairies. The “Moonlit Immortal Bridge” became one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Loudi.