The Flying Stone of Pihé

　　In the Nujiang River area, the “Flying Stone” is almost a household name, frequently becoming the subject of all kinds of legendary and beautiful stories. Some say it was a divine gift to the school, a treasure meant to nurture talent and propel the institution to fame. Others claim it’s a male stone searching for its female counterpart, hence calling it the “Mandarin Duck Stone.” With so many theories, the stone remains shrouded in mystery.

　　The Flying Stone is located in the central courtyard of the stone house complex at the Nujiang Fugong County Nationality Middle School, about 46 kilometers south of the county town. The so-called “stone house” refers to three bungalows built on top of a massive rock that is about seven or eight meters high and over ten meters in diameter, forming a traditional three-sided courtyard. Seven teachers live there, and there’s also an open space of around seven or eight square meters in the center. On the morning of March 19, 1983, after days of continuous heavy rain, a cone-shaped rock measuring seven meters in length, five meters in diameter, and weighing several thousand tons came crashing down onto the road. Then, driven by inertia, it bounced six meters up and landed squarely in the middle of the stone house courtyard. Miraculously, it seemed to have eyes — it didn’t harm a single staff member or damage any of the buildings, as if it had been placed there intentionally. Since then, visitors have come in an endless stream to see this giant rock. The elderly call it the “Flying Stone” with trepidation, while the young stand in awed silence before it. Countless people have marveled at it, poets have composed verses for it, writers have left their words, travelers have taken photos, and locals have passed down stories about its wonder...