"Nature should be respected."
As I walked neared the end of the wooden boardwalk in the vast Jiuzhaigou World Heritage Site in northern Sichuan Province (China), I saw a bilingual Chinese-English sign introducing an artifact with a rather unusual name: "8.8 石", "8.8 Rock", meaning the August 8th Rock. The rock lay tilted about 15 meters away, right at the edge of the stream during the dry season.
The 109-word English note briefly describes the "background" of the rock. Standing 9.2 meters tall, with a volume of 163 cubic meters and weighing 522 tons, the rock was formed in a marine environment 320 million years ago and is a type of limestone. The rock fell from an altitude of 2,654 meters into the valley after the 7-magnitude earthquake on the evening of August 8, 2017.
"The earthquake caused rocks to break off from the mountain and fall, destroying vegetation and digging a large trench along its path," reads the note printed on the information board.
"Rock 8.8" stands as a witness, reminding us of the 2017 natural disaster that killed 24 people, injured hundreds, and severely damaged the scenic area.
Many houses in Jiuzhaigou County had their walls collapse, and the Sichuan Daily report added: "Rocks fell on the road leading from the county to the scenic area." Among the rocks that fell that day was a large rock nicknamed "8.8 rock," even though it fell silently inside Jiuzhaigou.
While not forgetting the past natural disaster, it's fascinating that the story of the falling rock, the scratches left on the mountainside, and even its presence by the stream have now become a popular photo spot. And even more surprising is that the rock carries a message.
I read this last sentence on the introductory plaque: "The 8.8 stone carving suggests that we should respect nature."
Stone culture
One day in late September five years ago, workers operating excavators in a quarry in the mountainous area of Tuy Hoa City (Phu Yen province) discovered a strange rock formation beneath the surface. The quarry was then given a new name, "Ganh Da Dia 2," because its shape bore many similarities to the Ganh Da Dia national scenic spot near the coast in northern Tuy An district.
The formation of these disc-shaped rocks awakened as if by chance. Before the excavators dug deep into the ground, these strange rocks had been spotted by a photographer in Phu Yen during a photo shoot nearly 15 years ago, but only a very small, exposed patch had attracted little attention.
Even within the Ganh Da Dia area, off the coast of Tuy An, there are hidden rock formations waiting to be discovered. Not far from the path leading down to Ganh Da Dia, bushes and surface soil concealed such a stunning rock formation, spanning over 500 square meters, until it was discovered in August 2018 by scientists and cultural officials from Phu Yen province.
I'm reminded of Ganh Da Dia in Phu Yen, especially "Ganh Da Dia 2" because a new series of basalt rock formations has recently been discovered in the highlands of Phuoc Son (Quang Nam), due to some interesting similarities I've noticed.
Besides the shape of the rock columns, their original names, and their location on the same mountain, the Phuoc Son rock formation and the "Ganh Da Dia 2" in Phu Yen are also similar in the way they were discovered: they were both accidentally found by workers.
The Phuoc Son cliff, located near the Nuoc Che hydroelectric turbine, is only partially exposed and is often obscured by trees. It wasn't until workers began digging a water conduit from the main dam to the turbine that this peculiar cliff was revealed, displaying fascinating shapes in the form of columns, quadrilates, hexagons, squares, and circles, stretching for nearly 1 kilometer.
Similar to the situation at "Ganh Da Dia 2" five years ago, the Phuoc Son district authorities have now stepped in to survey, demarcate protected areas, and propose planning. Ideas for tourism development are also gradually emerging.
There's no better opportunity than the appearance of these strange rock formations in the highlands of Quang Nam, possibly basalt, which may be concealing millions of years of history formed from volcanic lava flows, potentially offering new perspectives on geology, and possibly creating a new tourist destination…
But rocks are not just about geology and tourism. They also reveal aspects of culture.
I remember when writer and musician Vu Duc Sao Bien, passing through the countryside of Tien Phuoc, saw the stone alleys, stone fences, stone steps, stone tombs, stone traps, and even the mysterious rocks in Lo Thung… and enthusiastically discussed “a form of folk culture over 500 years old.” And he called it stone culture.
Tien Phuoc rocks have entered folk songs, "If you're lucky enough to marry a man from the mountains / Sitting on the rocky path, even sadness can bring joy," and have been immortalized in the poetry of Huynh Thuc Khang when he praised Lo Thung rocks. Phu Yen's disc rocks have also resonated with folklore regarding their origins, giving rise to stories for tourists about treasures turned into rocks, or golden cups and jade plates left behind by deities after a feast...
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Limestone falls in Sichuan remind people to respect nature. The basalt formations in Phu Yen reveal a volcanic region and a geopark. In Quang Nam, rocks jutting out by the stream and split stones along the village roads of Tien Phuoc suggest a rich cultural heritage.
Will the basalt cliffs in the Phuoc Son highlands soon create a synergy between geology and community life, thereby enabling the tourism industry to extend the lifespan of this natural masterpiece?
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/da-thuc-3141151.html
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