Ancient Shoal Beach

　　One of the “Eight Scenic Spots”

　　“The Ancient Shoal Bell Chime.” During the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi era, Weng Tonglun wrote a poem about it: “Amid thousands of billowing waves on Ancient Shoal Beach, the divine bell emerges and vanishes amid the surging tides. It does not ring at dawn from a secluded temple, but rather echoes coldly by the moonlit river. Splashing high to urge carp to leap, it soars straight into the sky as dragons coil. All by the sweep of a hand that stirs the clouds, it calms the raging waves over thousands of acres.” Though the ancients have long gone, the roaring tides remain, with the bell-like sound of the waves striking stones—sometimes urgent, sometimes slow, rising and falling in waves of vivid reality and illusion, enchanting and awe-inspiring as if listening to celestial music. When visiting this place, you may find your emotions calmed, your worries, worldly concerns, and ego forgotten, as the river breeze drifts around you and you feel as though you’re in a world apart; or you may find your feelings uncontrollable, almost frenzied, dancing with joy, wanting to sing and shout. The shoal is a world of peculiar rocks. Most of the stones in the shoal are dark-colored pebbles with varied patterns, interspersed with colorful stones, ink stones, and other types, displaying a dazzling array of hues.

　　In recent years, Wuxuan has seen the emergence of odd stone collectors, odd stone villages, odd stone shops, odd stone markets, and ink painting stone factories, centered around distribution hubs such as Wutai New Village in Sanli Town and Po’guan Village in Ertang Town. Hundreds of people have become professional or amateur collectors of odd stones. Wuxuan’s odd stones have gained a fine reputation: they are exquisitely crafted, come in diverse shapes, and possess an intoxicating charm. Even more remarkable is that the Wuxuan area is home to a unique type of stone known as grass-flower stone (also called ink painting stone), discovered in 1996. Residents at the stone source called it grass-flower stone based on its patterns; due to its textures and designs resembling landscapes, ink paintings, oil paintings, and pencil sketches, and its strong essence of traditional Chinese painting brushwork, freehand style, and coloring, it is also elegantly named “ink painting stone.” It’s worth mentioning that one of Wuxuan’s odd stone distribution centers, Sanli Wutai New Village, is about 7 kilometers from the county seat. It is recognized as a “National Advanced Village in Creating Civilized Work,” a “Guangxi Rural Spiritual Civilization Construction Demonstration Village,” and a “Wuxuan Tourism Cultural Corridor Civilization Creation Site.” It is also a necessary stop on the way to the Baiya Grand Canyon. With strong support from the Wuxuan government, this area has become an important hub for odd stones and potted plants in Wuxuan County and even Laibin City. Wutai New Village now has parking lots, exhibition halls, and ethnic-style farmhouse accommodation and dining facilities. It serves as a key tourist attraction integrating agricultural sightseeing, leisure vacations, fitness, and entertainment in Wuxuan’s rural tourism. On May 18, 2006, the inaugural event of the 2006 China·Laibin Rural Tourism Festival, held by Laibin City in our county, will take place here.