Pine in the River

　　The Pine in the River is located 10 kilometers from Cika Town, Gongshan County, in the middle of the Nujiang River on the western bank of Qilangdang, at 27°39′N, 98°43′, and an altitude of 1,500 meters. On a rock in the middle of the Nujiang River’s western bank grows a Yunnan pine whose age cannot be estimated. The tree stands about 4 meters tall, with little soil and nutrients at its roots. Despite this, it never withers or stops growing, staying green all year round. For hundreds of years, it has stood proudly on the rocks in the middle of the Nujiang River. Whenever the river rises, the water level reaches above its roots, yet it remains upright and undisturbed by wind and rain, becoming a marvelous sight in the Nujiang Grand Canyon scenic area.　

　　Legend has it that long ago, the beautiful goddesses of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—Mt. Tanggula—had three very pretty daughters named Nujiang, Lancangjiang, and Jinshajiang. The three sisters agreed to journey far away to find their elder brother, the Sea. One night, they set off together toward the place where the sun rises. As they walked, Jinshajiang, Lancangjiang, and Nujiang became separated. Among the three, Nujiang was the most beautiful and filial. After leaving her parents and sisters, she hurried after her two elder sisters. Along the way, she asked the green pines on the riverbank to pass on a message to her parents, but the pines by the Nujiang River failed to hear her words clearly. To this day, the pines in the Gongshan area continue to whisper, still asking Nujiang what message she wanted to send to the parents of Mt. Tanggula on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

　　It is also said that after thanking the mountain god of Kawakabu Snow Mountain and her parents, Mt. Tanggula, Nujiang wandered and played along the way. When she reached Qilangdang in Cika Town, she told a pine tree by the river that she was going to a distant place to find the sea, and asked it to be sure to pass the message on to her parents. That is why, to this day, there is still a pine tree standing in the middle of the river, facing Mt. Tanggula on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as if delivering a message, forming the unique spectacle of the Pine in the River.

　　Legends may or may not be true, but the Pine in the River certainly stirs the imagination: standing unmoved for a hundred years in the middle of the river, proud and unyielding, watching the tides rise and fall, the waves surge and clouds gather. Its resilience is truly admirable; its solitude, however, inevitably brings to mind the hardships and loneliness of travel, bringing a lump to the throat.

　　Yet love is beautiful, and I choose to believe in legends. I hope these legends are true. I believe in the responsibility carried by the proud pine standing firm, and I believe in Nujiang’s devotion, her longing for the sea.

　　Likewise, we must pay tribute to the huge rock beneath the Pine in the River: unmoved by wind and wave, it bears a responsibility, supporting a life, a love, and a hope.