Seven kilometers downstream from Zigui lies the mouth of the Xiangxi (Fragrant Stream) on the north bank of the Yangtze. There, its greenish water meets the mighty river's golden water like two ribbons of contrasting colors. Nearby is Xiangxi town.
Literally meaning Fragrant Stream, Xiangxi originates in the mountains of northern Hubei Province. Its water is crystal clear all the four seasons. It is said once when Mingfei, the Illustrious Imperial Concubine of the Western Han period (206 B.C.-A.D. 24), was washing her face in the river, a string of pearls from her ornament fell into the water. Ever since then, the river water has carried a scent like that of perfume. Hence the name Fragrant River.
Xiangxi town boasts the Peach Blossom Fish, a rare species. Transparent and cream-colored, it is shaped like an umbrella and has as many as 250 tentacles. It appears every spring when the peach trees blossom and vanish when the peach flowers fade. Hence its name, Peach Blossom Fish. An ancient poem describing the Blossom-fish scene reads like this:
The meeting place of the Xiangxi and the Yangtze River. In the middle is Zhaojun's Statue. She departed here to the capital, today's Xian, then married to the Hun by the emperor.
On the river peach blossoms float in springtime,
Matching them, Peach Blossom Fish swim in the river.
Cream and scarlet weave into a beautiful picture,
When flowers and fish mingle inseparably.
The fish circle merrily amidst fallen flowers,
Following their moving shadows as closely as possible.
Legend tells that, after a home visit, Mingfei started on her trip beyond the Great Wall to be married to the Hung chieftain. As she sailed along the Fragrant River, she played a pipa, a stringed musical instrument, to express her deep love for her kinsfolk and birthplace. Her tears dropped into the water to mingle with the floating peach blossoms and turned into beautiful fish. Every year, the fish come and go along with the blossoms, but the local people's memory of Mingfei remains all the time.
A sad and sentimental story. Isn't it?