Hailan River

　　The Hailan River originates from Zhen Peak east of Changbai Mountain, flows through Qingshanli, Helongyu, and the Pingjiang Basin, and then into the fertile and beautiful Ruidian Plain, irrigating vast paddy fields before finally joining the Tumen River, stretching a total length of 145 km. For the people of Longjing, it is a life-giving river and a historical witness of shared hardships. Legend has it that in the past, there were two great mountains on either side of the river — Zhuyan Mountain to the east and Piyan Mountain to the west. At the foot of the mountains were two villages facing each other across the water, living in harmony. One summer, a three-headed, six-armed demon suddenly appeared on the river, causing chaos — sometimes whipping up fierce winds that blew houses away, and other times greedily sucking the river water dry. As a result, fish became extinct, crops withered, and the people of both villages faced imminent extinction. At this critical moment, a handsome young man named “Hai” from the eastern village stepped forward to fight the demon to the death, vowing to sacrifice his life for the safety of his hometown. A beautiful girl named “Lan” from the western village also rose to the challenge and joined the battle against the demon. Faced with the enormous demon, the brave Hai remained calm, drew his thousand-pound sword, swung it left and right, seized the opportunity, and successively chopped off three of the demon’s heads. But before the third head even hit the ground, the first one bounced back up nine feet high and reattached itself. After ninety-nine rounds of fierce fighting, the outcome was still undecided. In the hundredth round, the clever girl Lan, following the advice of an elder in the village, wrapped a basin of spicy, bitter pepper ash in her skirt, waiting for the moment the demon’s head hit the ground to sprinkle the ash on its head. Finally, the enormous demon spat out a jet of black blood and collapsed with a loud thud. With the demon eliminated, peace returned to the two villages.

　　Hai and Lan then got married. To commemorate the two brave youths, the villagers named the river “Hailan River.”

　　(No images available yet. Contributions welcome.)