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We left Lijiang to head up to Shangri-La. After 2 hours, we stopped at the Tiger Leaping Gorge for a 5K trek to the point where the legendary tiger leaped across the river to escape hunters. It was a beautiful manmade cliffside walk along the river and through tunnels dug through the marble/granite? stone mountain. It was lined with bamboo plants part of the way and concrete railing which they carved into bamboo shape so visitors will not fall off the cliffside. We walked down the steps that put us right at the river side. The rushing rapids were fierce. It struck the rocks in the middle of the river. The sprays were high. The water was angry and strong. The river was the Jinsha River which leads into the Yangtse River. Kevin and our tour guide Laura told us the legends of the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The first legend is that once there were hunters pursuing a tiger. The tiger escaped by leaping across the river with 2 huge leaps, stopping on a rock in the middle. That was the way the tremendous strength of the tiger saved him. The second legend was of the mountains being two brothers. One day, a beautiful girl river wanted to pass them to fulfill her dream of reaching the sea. The two brothers did not want her to leave because she was so beautiful. They wanted her to stay with them. She came up with a plan to sing them to sleep and that was when she escaped between them. That is how the gorge was created. The one brother was so mad that he decapitated the other brother mountain. Thus there was the huge triangular rock in the middle of the rushing river.
Helen Biffen
Pingry School
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