Bound by the Natural Bridge, Haunted by the Great Rift Valley

According to legend, the cowherd and the weaver girl were cruelly separated on either side of the Milky Way by the Queen Mother of the West. Their faithful love moved thousands of magpies, which flew together to form a Magpie Bridge for the couple to meet. The Queen Mother had no choice but to permit them to reunite on the bridge on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year.

In reality, in the northernmost part of Wuding, Yunnan, lies a breathtaking scenic spot: the Yiyi Great Rift Valley. The valley’s grandeur, wonder, peril, steepness and grace are best embodied by the Natural Bridge. Two enormous natural boulders stand towering at either end of the bridge. Folktales say that hoping to keep watch over each other forever, the cowherd and weaver girl came to the fairyland-like Yiyi Great Rift Valley and turned into these two huge rocks. The Natural Bridge itself is said to be the magpie bridge they once crossed. Therefore, local people affectionately name it the Cowherd and Weaver Girl Bridge, and the two boulders at both ends are known as the Cowherd Stone Gazing for His Wife.

As the annual Qixi Festival draws near, Yiyi Town will strive to develop cultural tourism, raise the profile of the Yiyi Great Rift Valley, strengthen the ethnic eco-tourism brand of "Magnificent Yiyi", build a distinctive ethnic cultural festival, enrich residents’ cultural life, boost local economic and social development, and accelerate the progress of poverty alleviation.