Story 155: Legend of Songhua River

Legend of Songhua River

Author: Anonymous

It is said that pine trees only produce pine cones and pine seeds, but not flowers. So how did the Songhua River get its name? I heard from an old man who was cutting wood in the mountains that the pine trees used to bloom in the past, but later they were borrowed by someone else. There is a story behind this.

Long, long ago, the land of Heilongjiang was full of mountains and waters, with lush trees and few people. At that time, the Xing’an Mountains and Changbai Mountains were connected, and countless rivers and lakes led directly to the sea. The waves were surging all year round, with no end in sight. However, in the middle of this vast expanse of water, there was a large lake full of lotus flowers, named Lotus Lake.

This lake is not ordinary. The surface of the lake is always covered with lotus leaves, pink lotus, white lotus, calla lily, red, green and yellow, blooming one after another, without a break. Moreover, under the lotus leaves, back to back, cheek to cheek, three layers inside and three layers outside, are all fish and clams.

Take a closer look, the eyes of each fish are a pair of amber big pearls, and each clam shell contains a shiny night pearl. When the stars and the moon are out at night, the sky and the ground are filled with auspicious air and colorful lights. The whole lake is just like a “treasure bowl”.

But in such a Feng Shui treasure land, in an unknown year and month, an evil dragon with white wings and white scales broke into the lake. Its nickname was “Little White Dragon”. At first, it hid at the bottom of the lake, making no sound. Gradually, it became rampant. It would make waves at any time, jumping up and down, stirring up the clear and emerald water of the lake. In the end, the lotus flowers withered, the fish disappeared, the clams closed their mouths, and the night pearls no longer shone.

Watching the precious lake, it instantly turned into stinking dead water. That’s not all. Sometimes, when the little white dragon flapped its wings, floods would immediately roll up, the sky would be dark, and the area within a radius of hundreds of miles would be affected, and there would never be peace.

After all the trouble, the little white dragon’s evil deeds were discovered by the old dragon king who dominated the East China Sea. He sent a big black dragon with black wings and black scales to subdue the little white dragon.

At the first visit, the big black dragon didn’t take the little white dragon seriously. He thought to himself, I am strong and sturdy, once I get there, I can easily catch him, right? So, he called the wind and rain all the way and came to the Lotus Lake happily. The big black dragon brought nothing with him, only dragging a chain to tie up the little white dragon. On the way, in order to show off his power, he deliberately shook the chain. This shake didn’t matter, a flash of lightning and a thunder sent a message to the little white dragon.

The big black dragon was tired and stopped in the air to rest. This rest didn’t matter, hailstones as big as eggs fell on the ground and accumulated three feet thick. The little white dragon knew that the enemy had come, so he was prepared. He filled his stomach with fish and clams. After eating and drinking, he hid in the dark. The big black dragon was also bold and daring. He made a fuss on the Lotus Lake for a long time, but he didn’t see the little white dragon.

When the big black dragon was hungry, tired and exhausted, the little white dragon suddenly jumped up and slammed the ground with its horns. Without much effort, it drove the big black dragon back to Sanjiangkou.

The first one suffered a loss in the open, and when it came again, the big black dragon went down the river. But he didn’t expect that wherever it swam, the water was black, the waves were black, and the clouds and fog were all black. The little white dragon had sharp eyes and knew from a distance that the opponent was coming. He quickly filled his stomach with fish and clams, rested up, and hid behind the lake reef. When the big black dragon arrived, there were thunder and heavy rain, turning the Lotus Lake upside down.

After tossing for most of the day, the little white dragon did not come out of the water. At this time, the big black dragon was hungry and tired. The little white dragon flew out of the water, like a ferocious monster, and chased the big black dragon to the mouth of the East Sea in a few rounds.

The big black dragon could not enter the Lotus Lake, and could not subdue the little white dragon. He knew that he was always sending signals to his opponent. The only way to catch it was to find a way to make it invisible. But what method should he use? After thinking about it, it was already the summer of the second year.

The ground was full of pine flowers, pure white. Some flowers fell on the water, covering the rivers and lakes. The big black dragon was delighted. “Why don’t I go to the mountain to borrow pine flowers?” After thinking about it, it ate and drank enough, packed up neatly, and came to Changbai Mountain and Xing’an Mountains. It flew around and ran a few laps, crawling and grabbing. After a while, it knocked the pine flowers to the ground, and the tornado swept them all to the lake.

Looking again, the river surface was all white. The big black dragon ate and drank enough, secretly left the East China Sea, came to the Lotus Lake, and subdued the little white dragon in an instant.

Unfortunately, the little white dragon was not locked up. Later, it turned south from the mouth of the East China Sea and escaped to the present Xingkai Lake. After that, the big black dragon put all the mountains and rivers in order, leaving only three big rivers, which are today’s Heilongjiang, Wusuli River and Songhua River.

The water in the Lotus Lake became less and less, and it became the half-moon-shaped Wudalianchi. The Greater Khingan Range and Changbai Mountain also separated, one over there and one in the north. In some places where the big black dragon went down the river, some places flattened the mountains, and some places became swamps.

Since then, the pine trees have not bloomed. In order to commemorate the black dragon, the river was named Songhua River.

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