Hongxi

　　Hongxi is located under Qilin Rock in the center of the Donggong Mountain Scenic Area, stretching over 10 kilometers in length and about 3 meters in width. Surprisingly, this lengthy section of crimson-colored riverbed is as flat as if it had been planed by an axe or chisel. There are absolutely no river pebbles or silt in the creek. As for the origin of Hongxi, a beautiful legend has been passed down through the generations: it is said that back when the turtle-snake demons were plaguing Donggong Mountain, there was no Hongxi yet. Therefore, droughts and floods occurred year after year, and the local people could only survive with great difficulty in the valleys. To save the living beings, the heavens sent two immortals to the mortal realm to eliminate the turtle-snake demons. They then used a divine ox and a divine plow to till a path from Donggong Mountain, along the surrounding gorges, all the way to Pinqing, thus creating Hongxi and Yuanyang Stream. Between the old and new bridges over Hongxi, there stands a spherical rock known as the “Wind-Moving Rock.” When several people push it together, it can sway slightly.

　　On eight rocks in the canyon under the Mist Bridge of Donggong Mountain, there are more than 280 concentric circles of regular shapes and varying sizes. What’s puzzling is that among the several-kilometer-long canyon, only these eight rocks feature these concentric circle patterns, and the rocks themselves are extremely hard—the impact of a wind drill leaves merely white spots. As a result, theories about their origin abound: some suspect they were made by aliens, others believe they resulted from volcanic eruptions, still others think they were created by marine creatures during shifts of the earth’s crust, or even that they are remnants of ancient Yue tribe totems or religious beliefs. The mystery remains unresolved, which is why they have been named the “Strange Circles.”

　　One writer vividly described them: “They are like spells, like codes, like pages of an unreadable heavenly scripture, yet one can faintly sense that they are some kind of hint, some metaphor, some call from the wonders of nature to humanity.”