As you are looking a sketch map of Fuxian Lake, you will find it looks like an irregular vase, which declines to the east. I cannot help thinking of the miracle vase of the Roman legend. I think Fuxian Lake is a magic vase. As I am concerned, there are nine mysteries which are difficult to explain, so that we might not know any one of them in our all life.
1. Hippocampus Appeared in Fuxian Lake
It is said that “a subject like a white horse, with red spots on its back, appears out of water quickly, as if it would fly. People who have seen the phenomenon got good fortunes for many times.” It is recorded in The Local Chronicles of Jiangchuan County that “the hippocampus appeared in Fuxian Lake in October of the 43rd year in the Quanlong Period. The hippocampus came from Lichang County, and ran to southeast and disappeared near the bank of Tangzi of Huaning County. Wang Hui, a student of Ge Wei, and his classmates saw it. It is said that the hippocampus appeared in the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Shaozai and Li Zhongcheng”. Ge Wei was an editor for the Local Chronicles of Jiangchuan County. Zhao Shaozai (Zhao Shilin of Heyang in the Kangxi Period) was a governor of Ministry of Official Personal Affairs. Li Zhongcheng, also called Li Fajia, acted as imperial inspector of Hunan Province. The Local Chronicles of Jiangchuan County in the Republic of China Era (1912－1949) recorded the following specifically and vividly. “One morning, a hurricane whispered suddenly and the waves surged, with thunders as if the earth were a complete shambles. People were very surprised and they didn’t know what happened. Nearly one hour later, the waves became quiet and the sea was as smooth as a mill-pond. A little while, two hippocampi appeared in Fuxian Lake by Jianshan Hill. The two hippocampi were grey with black tails. They leaped out of water and quickly ran to Gushan, but swung his head around suddenly. They did so for three times and disappeared in the site for their first appearance. The two hippocampi did so for the second day and the third day. The villagers by the Fuxian Lake had seen this.
All the three records said that there were hippocampi in Fuxian Lake, with other powerful evidences such as specific time, place and witness. Many people lived by the lake had seen the animal like hippocampus which leaped out of water and ran quickly as if it were flying. From time to time, it disappeared.
Local Chronicles is creditable history, so that people believe it. What kind of animal would it be on earth? Its appearance would predict what on earth?
2. “Living People” under Water
Human cannot live without water. We can say that human and water co-exists. Judging from the Lijiashan bronze wares of Jiangchuan County, water operations began in the Spring & Autumn Period in Fuxian Lake. Since human came into being, many people died in Fuxian Lake in the activities such as fish catching, transporting, swimming and so forth. However, few corpses of those who died in the lake could be caught. Where were the thousands of the corpses on earth? Of course, some corpses were eaten by fishes. Would the corpses sink in the bottom of the lake? Especially the people who were be murdered might sink in the lake if their bodies were tied with heavy objects. If so, I think the corpses would sink in the bottom of the lake. Year after year, the number of the bodies could be large.
In 1980, the fishermen went to catch fish. A fisherman found his net was very heavy, so that he thought he had caught a big fish. He was astonished as he saw a male corpse in his net. The corpse was preserved well, from which we could see that the dead man was a little older than thirty years old. The corpse was encrusted white on the surface. The white crust cover dissolved and the corpse decomposed little by little after it was caught. The deepest point reached 157 meters with 87 meters on average in Fuxian Lake. The bottom of the lake became a cold dark world and also a big icehouse, for the deep water isolated sunshine and air, then the corpses sunk in the deep water and it might not decompose. The corpses in the water bore the abundant pressure and were dipped too long time, so that the surface of the corpse formed a clay protection crust. Thus the corpses could be reserved perfect and became “mummies under water”. The aquanauts who visited the deep point in Fuxian Lake said that the corpses were unaccountable and it was a large natural body house. It is particular that all the corpses stand declining and flow with the water as if they were alive, with the male corpses declining forward and those female declining back.
3. Huge Fish in Fuxian Lake
How big does the biggest fish in Fuxian Lake? It is a question people concerned. My grandmother dealt with business and she usually passed across Fuxian Lake by boat. As a child, one day I asked my grandmother how big the biggest fish in Fuxian Lake. She noted that “I was crossing Fuxian Lake from Kunming. The waves in the lake were surging and the wind was too strong, so that the boat was tossed. I saw an object like a boat at the distance, then I looked at it carefully and I found it was the back of a big fish”. I was astonished on hearing it. The boat might be over ten meters long and two or three meters wide. We can evaluate how big it was.
On 29 July, 1992, a farmer of Luchong in Chengjiang County caught a black fish 1.56-meter long. The fish was displayed in Luchong after it was been dealt with liquid medicine. Many visitors visited it and I did too.
A few days later, a farmer of Mingxing in Jiangchuan County caught a big fish, which was bigger than that of Luchong. It was regrettable that the big fish was killed.
I heard that the long fish and objects under water were found by the aquanauts when I acted as the leader in Jiangchuan County. I also heard that some people had seen the huge fish which fins were like sails.
4. “Mulberry Fields Change into Sea”
Local Chronicles of Jiangchuan in the Kangxi Period recorded “There are two islands, one was Big Island and the other was Little Island. Some people built a steel bridge called Yunhong Bridge which disappeared with Little Island. Suffered the strong wind and heavy rain, the Big Island existed alone”. “The strong wind and heavy rain” perhaps didn’t refer to “earthquake”, for the word “earthquake” was used in The Jiangchuan Local Chronicles for many times specifically. What “the strong wind and heavy rain” referred to?
There are no records about the steel bridge in The Jiangchuan Local Chronicles or that of Chengjiang. Who built it is unknown.
5. Aviation Preserve
In the Anti-Japanese War, an airplane of the Republic of China Era (1912-1949) crashed into the Old Tiger Mountain strangely and the people in the plane lost their lives on the way to Chenggong Airport. The drivers had seen the airfield runway and connected with the ground airport. However, the plane strayed from the direction and the tragedy happened.
In the early of 1980’s, military plane was out of control and fell into Fuxian Lake. The two skillful drivers fell into the bottom of the Fuxian Lake before taking any measures to deal with the emergency. Due to the strong wind and surging waves, people did not know the specific condition. Therefore, the county acquired air assistance. Permitted by the provincial government, the airplane flew to Fuxian Lake. The refugees were very excited, filled with tears in their eyes while seeing the plane. People could not understand why the plane flew so high.
Later, the head of the Air Control Center told us that the sky over Fuxian Lake was listed as the aviation preserve. Airplane was not available to fly over Fuxian Lake unless there was an emergency. However, the plane must keep some space. The emergency was finished by skillful drivers, who took adventure for this special task.
Why Fuxian Lake is listed as aviation preserve? Is it a mysterious area like a ghost area in the Atlantic Ocean?
6. Glittering Round Plate at Night
On 24, October 1991, the moon was bright and the stars were few. Zhang Yuxiang who lived in Haikou Village and other people went fishing by boat in Fuxian Lake. At one clock in the next morning, a strong wind whispered and the frogs covered all the lake. The fishing boat tossed violently. Zhang Yuxiang and other people were astonished when they were seeing a glittering round plate surging out of water. The round plate flew quickly in the air after surging out of water. The present people did not know what to do and they also could not distinguish the directions for the fog was very heavy. It was strange that their boat was harboring near the bank from the middle lake without any damage after the fog went away.
7. The Buildings under Water
It is said that the site of Fuxian Lake is a big flat land, where a prosperous city existed. The flat land was sunk by the surging water. Besides, the prosperous city was destroyed in this disaster. It is said that the name of “Chengjiang” is connected with this disaster. There was a county named “Yuyuan County” in the Han Dynasty in Yunnan. The Yuyuan County was a big famous county. It was estimated that the site of Yuyuan County was in Chengjiang County. The Yuyuan County was too big so that it could not be today’s Chengjiang City. Where is the Yuyuan city of the Han Dynasty? Did it sink in Fuxian Lake?
The Yuyuan County site disappeared mysteriously. People were confused with it.
In November 2000, media claimed that ancient buildings were found in Fuxian Lake. The ancient buildings covered by moss and clays were 200 meters far from Northeastern Bank of Fuxian Lake. Geng Wei and He Ji who were adventurers had visited this area for decades’ times. Moreover, they made a 50-minute VCD about it.
What were the buildings under water? At present, experts consider that the buildings are not the dams, but the ancient city or sacrifices place. However, abundant scientific evidences are needed.
8. Fish Kingdom
It was July 1968 that was my first time to visit Gushan Island. I saw thousands of fishes assembling in the southeast of Gushan Island. They were stationary as if there was a large-scale party. After a while, the fishes were swimming forward slowly as if they were parading. Xu Shudong, a leader of the People’s Arms shot to the fish group. However, the fishes were not afraid and did not disperse as if nothing had happened. I had seen this wonderful scene for decades’ times, especially in summer.
It was said that “there was a shark palace to which thousands of fishes came to visit.” according to the records of Jiangchuan Local Chronicles and Chengjiang Local Chronicles.
I once have heard two legends about the shark palace. One legend wrote “there was a dragon palace under the Gushan Island, which was supported by ten golden poles”. The other legend wrote “there were many caves under Gushan Island. The Fish King in Fuxian Lake came to one of the caves but only to find the exit of the cave was too small so that he could not go out. Therefore, the fishes in Fuxian Lake often came to visit him”. Perhaps multi-factors contribute to the forming of Fish Kingdom.
9. Fish Boundary Stone
In the middle of Yudai River, which connects Fuxian Lake with Xingyun Lake, there is a big stone named Fish Boundary Stone. It is strange that the anti-wave fish turn around when they are swimming to the fish Boundary Stone, where the big-headed fish in Xingyun Lake do so.
I have seen this phenomenon for many times. Why the two fishes do not across the stone?
Someone said that the Fish Boundary Stone was like an angry tiger who was the king of all the animals so that the fishes did not dare cross the boundary. Someone said that it was like a head of a cat so that the fishes are afraid of it. In the Kangxi Period of the Qing Dynasty, Li Mi, the magistrate of Jiangchuan County carved “Strange stone worries fishes”. Someone also carved “Different fishes have different characteristics”. Visitors from different places expressed their different opinions.
Jiangchuan County have two kinds of fishes, which live confining boundary, they dare not cross the boundary. If they do, they would fight against until one fish killed the other. People could not see a big-headed fish in Fuxian Lake, nor could they see an anti-wave fish in Xingyun Lake.
Two lakes are closely connected? Why can a stone be a boundary? Would the mysteries attract you? Fuxian Lake is like a magic vase to do research and probe.
Source: Chengjiang Literature & Art Association