The Three Sisters
Legend tells that long ago, three magnolia trees on Zhangjiajie cultivated into spirits, becoming three clever, beautiful, and kind sisters. The eldest was called Red Magnolia, the second White Magnolia, and the third Yellow Magnolia. The three sisters originally wanted to settle on the mountain and live happily as humans, but when they entered the village, no roosters crowed, no dogs barked, and the hearths were cold and smokeless.
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
The Three Sisters
Legend has it that long, long ago, three magnolia trees on Zhangjiajie cultivated themselves into spirits and transformed into three clever, beautiful, and kind-hearted maidens. The eldest was called Red Magnolia, the second White Magnolia, and the third Yellow Magnolia.
The three sisters had originally wanted to make a home on the mountain and live happily as mortals do, but when they entered the village, they saw that chickens did not crow, dogs did not bark, the hearth fires were cold and the smoke sparse, and all was lifeless and desolate. Adults and children alike were sallow and emaciated, weak and listless. The cornfields lay fallow, the whip shop was closed, and tourists no longer came to enjoy the scenery — how pitiful the scene was!
A kind old granny told them: "That year, Qin Shi Huang drove mountains to fill the sea and killed Princess Lobster. From then on, the Dragon King became an enemy of Zhangjiajie. The Dragon King locked the salt storehouse and would not let the people of Zhangjiajie have salt, which made us all come down with plague. Alas! The people in the village have either died or fled — it is nearly deserted. What in-laws are you looking for here!"
Hearing the granny's words, the three sisters were filled with sympathy for the misfortunes of the Zhangjiajie people and decided to go to the South Sea to find the Dragon King and ask for salt.
The gatekeeper of the salt storehouse was Mother Lobster. She was the household official in charge of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
The three sisters paid their respects to Mother Lobster and explained their purpose. Mother Lobster said with difficulty: "The Dragon King has ordered that the salt storehouse shall not be opened to the people of Zhangjiajie."
Red Magnolia said: "Could we borrow a little?" "No."
White Magnolia said: "Could we buy a little?" "No!"
Yellow Magnolia said: "Could we beg for a little?" "None of it is allowed!"
The three sisters had no choice but to return dejectedly to Zhangjiajie. They walked and walked along the stone-slab path by the Golden Whip Stream, feeling utterly miserable, when suddenly the eldest sister said joyfully: "I have it! I have it!" She picked a lobster flower and said: "Come, let us go beg Mother Lobster again!" Each of the three sisters picked a lobster flower and came again to the Dragon Palace. Mother Lobster saw them coming from afar and slammed the salt storehouse door shut. Red Magnolia said: "Mother Lobster, take a look at what flower this is."
Mother Lobster peeked out through the crack in the door: "Heavens! Isn't this the lobster flower?!" Mother Lobster opened the door, held up the lobster flower, and wept. The three sisters said together: "Mother Lobster, Princess Lobster has taken root and bloomed in Zhangjiajie. If you cannot take pity on the people of Zhangjiajie, at least take pity on your own Princess Lobster!" Mother Lobster then opened the salt storehouse door and let each of the three sisters scoop up a basketful of salt. The three sisters distributed the salt to the villagers. With salt, the plague was cured. Look — the cooking smoke rises, songs are sung, leaf whistles are played. Every village and every stockade is laughing!
But water without a source, however beautiful and sweet, will one day run dry. Before long, the salt was all eaten up. The three sisters again shouldered their baskets and came to the Dragon Palace. But alas, Mother Lobster had been dismissed by the Dragon King, and General Crab stood fiercely guarding the salt storehouse door. What to do? The second sister thought for a moment and said: "I have it! I have it!" In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a snow-white magnolia flower. The eldest and third sisters understood and each transformed into a red magnolia and a yellow magnolia. The three flowers drifted and drifted together to the front of the salt storehouse. The fragrance of the magnolias was as intoxicating as fine wine. Before long, General Crab was snoring away. The three magnolia flowers jumped out of the vase one by one and revealed their true forms. The three sisters smiled with pursed lips, quietly stole the keys from General Crab's waist, opened the storehouse door, and each scooped up a full basketful of salt. The third sister said: "This little bit of salt won't last long either. I say we just poke a hole in the salt storehouse and let everyone in the world have salt." The eldest and second sisters both said: "Little sister is the clever one!"
The three sisters set to work at once and in a few strokes bored through the salt storehouse. The salt poured into the sea like a collapsing mountain! With that, the entire seawater was made salty.
When the Dragon King heard that the three sisters had destroyed the salt storehouse, he hurriedly donned his armor and chased out of the palace. But the three sisters had already returned to Zhangjiajie. The Dragon King was furious — "Hua—" he spewed a mouthful of water at Zhangjiajie and flooded it!
After seven days and seven nights, the seawater receded. The villagers who had escaped returned, tears in their eyes, searching for the three sisters. People searched and searched, called and called:
"Red—Ma—gno—lia—"
"White—Ma—gno—lia—"
"Yellow—Ma—gno—lia—"
"……………"
Later, on the mountain ridge southwest of Zhangjiajie, people discovered three stone peaks. These three stone peaks face the South Sea, and their faintly visible faces, their slender and graceful figures, their slightly raised breasts... were these not the three sisters that everyone knew so well?
It turned out that the three sisters had been transformed by the Dragon King into three stone peaks.
(Collected by Xifang Zi)
[Appendix] About Qin Shi Huang Driving Mountains to Fill the Sea
Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE), also known as Ying Zheng, was the founder of the first unified centralized feudal state in Chinese history. The story of Qin Shi Huang driving mountains to fill the sea and build the Ten-Thousand-Li Great Wall is known, together with the Legend of the White Snake, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, as one of the Four Great Legends of ancient China. Some have questioned the circulation of the Qin Shi Huang mountain-driving tale in Zhangjiajie, but this is actually due to a lack of understanding of the oral literature of the ethnic minorities in western Hunan. In the Yuanguping area of Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City, the forty-eight Horse-Head Mountains spanning four counties are said to be what remained when Qin Shi Huang drove mountains to fill the sea. The related folk customs in western Hunan — such as singing about Meng Jiangnü during "Nuo Vow Repayment" ceremonies, and the Tujia custom of wives walking ahead of husbands when visiting the wife's natal home — are all connected to Qin Shi Huang's driving mountains to fill the sea and building the Ten-Thousand-Li Great Wall.
The mutual transmission and mutual infiltration of folk literature is a basic characteristic of oral literature. It is also concrete evidence of the influence of Han culture on minority cultures.