Sacred stones, continents apart(2)

High rocks of different formations and shapes are attractions at Sanqing Mountain.

"Those are the three greatest Taoist deities. The highest is the God of Supreme Purity."

With all this information, we now set off for the Nanqing Garden Scenic Spot, the location of a rock statue named the Oriental Goddess, about 300 meters from the cable car station. We walk around the mountain to the spot along a winding concrete footpath lined with indigenous trees and plants.

I decide to finish my excursion at this spot. I take a seat on one of several carved stone seats to marvel at the Oriental Goddess. The rock has a unique structure resembling a woman sitting. The tip of the rock is separated from the rest of the massive structure.

A sign at the site says the 86-meter-high rock was shaped by spheroidal weathering to form the shape of a woman. Spheroidal weathering is a type of chemical reaction that results in the formation of spherical layers of decayed rock that fall off like layers of an onion, often leaving rounded shapes.

This is when I start drawing comparisons with the imposing Crying Stone of Kakamega. The 40-meter formation has similar rocks perched at its apex, and looks like a gowned figure with water flowing from the joint between the two rocks as if it were tears. The Isukha and Idakho sub-tribes of the larger Abaluhya community of Western Kenya traditionally held religious ceremonies at the foot of the Crying Stone. Traditional dances such as Tindikiti, Isukuti and Litungu are from time to time held at the site, with residents staging cockfights and bullfights and drinking traditional brew, to appease the ancestors in times of calamity.

The Crying Stone however, has some differences with the Oriental Goddess stone at Sanqiang Mountain. The two are morphologically different in that the Crying Stone is composed of such minerals as quartz, feldspar and mica while the Oriental Goddess is composed of granite. The size of the two rocks is also a major distinguishing feature. Finally, the Crying Stone is associated with the spirit of ancestors while the Oriental Goddess is claimed by the Taoists as a sacred rock.

Reluctantly, I descend to the foot of the mountain, having been thoroughly impressed by its picturesque scenery.

Jiangxi province is also a major location for so-called Red tourism because it was a cradle of the Communist Party of China and often is considered the birthplace of the People's Liberation Army. The Nanchang Uprising took place in Jiangxi and Communist leaders later took refuge in the province's mountains.