A freak of nature – the savior stone
Filed under:culture | Tags:Communist Party, Falun Gong, rocks, tourism
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In 2002, this rock formation was found in Pintang county, in Guizhou province. This rock face is apparently one half of a larger boulder that split about 500 years ago. The local government began to insist that the formation, itself approximately 270 million years old, reads “Chinese Communist Party” (中国共产党). If you believe local press reports, local villagers have started calling the stone the “Savior’s Stone” (救星石). Conveniently, it has become a tourist destination in Guizhou province. (See promotional video.)
Ironically, it’s not the Communist Party or the mainland press that focuses on the “savior stone” these days. Even though Guizhou, also the site of the recent Weng’an riots, is one of the poorest, most backward regions in China… I think the mainland public is way too sophisticated for this kind of nonsense.
Instead, it’s the Falun Gong that finds the topic most interesting. Why? Because with completely seriousness, it insists the rock formation actually has another character to the right: “dies” (亡). See FLG-produced video for the full, comical story.
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July 15th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Maybe I gave some mainlanders too much credit:
http://www.dzrcd.com/show.asp?id=203
That’s the story of 31 Party members who renewed their vows, under the Party flag, in front of the “savior stone” last month. They’re apparently employees of a company making all-natural mattresses, pillows, and other bedding material; the trip shows their commitment to both “nature” and the Communist Party. The comedy is now complete.
But I swear: they’re in the minority.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Buxi,
I’ll back that vow of yours. *twitch* I can’t believe anyone in mainland, with sophisticated education, would buy into any of this non-nonsensical stuff. =_=…..
July 15th, 2008 at 1:24 am
But then again, I don’t think anyone with a sane mind would take anything from FLG seriously anyhow.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:48 am
One reasonable explaination:
http://andrewsucn.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!99322BB1D9C72F4E!126.entry
July 15th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Opersai, many Falun Gong disciples in US are China’s most educated.
A prefessor from Drexel once sent me a photo of a “law wheel” over his head. But when I asked photography experts to review it, they tell me it is “lens flare” from poor lighting and cheap camera.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:42 am
I just laughed when I saw the 31 party member’s story in front of the stone.
I can’t read their mind. I guess their party boss wanted to bring some media attention for the company and also wanted show his loyalty to his/her own boss via this laughable way. I guess for many of the 31 party members there just liked the company paid holiday trip.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:06 am
@Charles,
sigh, admittedly, it’s a sad thing. Some of those things by FLG are just jaw dropping and so stupid I can’t help but laugh.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:11 am
Just curious… but 500 years ago, wouldn’t the text be from up to down or, at the very least, right to left? Is it traditional or simplified characters?
As with most pareidolia, it would be helpful if someone would overlay the characters. 🙂
July 15th, 2008 at 4:23 am
@Andy,
I don’t think how the characters came about is important at all. Whether the characters came about naturally or by scandalous human work, it doesn’t prove anything. They won’t bring about more legitimacy or less to CCP through their existence. The majority of people in China, have little faith in these “superstitious” occurrence, as a result from the mao’s era — or at least I hope so. =_=||
So what the characters appeared naturally, if the CCP can’t keep Chinese people happy, they are going to overthrow CCP from power sooner or later – no “supernatural miracle” will save it. On the other hand, if the CCP could do a good job running the country, it won’t need any stupid “message from the heaven” stunts to keep itself in power.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:26 am
@MutantJedi,
Heh, if you look at Youtube videos courtesy of FLG, you’ll find plenty of videos showing the overlay… and I can’t stress enough how seriously they take this. I was actually inspired to write this story, because I happened to be watching broadcast TV in the SF Bay Area this weekend… on one of the channels that show occasional Chinese programming (channel 26?), New Tang Dynasty TV showed a one-hour program, in which this rock was mentioned.
@Andy,
You’re right, excellent explanation! Quick summary for the others…
Some experts looked at the stones and declared there were no signs of tools used to create the sign, thus suggesting these were “natural”. The author points out that for anyone familiar with these things, it should be obvious a corrosive material could’ve been used to make the same formation. Mask over the writing, and then coat the rock material around it… and then wait.
Later, a retired Guizhou professor explains that he believes this was painted during the Cultural Revolution. Later, corrosion (either caused by the paint, or the paint protected the stone) caused the formation that we see today.
There you go. An explanation that doesn’t involve the Universe being out to destroy the Communist Party.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Our great CCP has long become less confident in their always righteous theories: Marx-Leninism- Mao zedong thought and the former Leader Jiang’s “important thought of three-representitiveness”, etc. I am afraid that they themselves have found these are lies and nonsense. So it is quite understandable for them to seek help from some superstitous methods. It is well known that quite a few CCP leaders including Jiang would burn incense in temples. You may also see that they chose 08080808 as the beginning date and time for the Beijing Olympic games because they believe that these numbers would bring them good luck. Therefor the story of Guizhou stone appears at this time is not coincidence. It is just to the taste of the CCP officials.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
@fall
You are wrong about why the date 08/08/08 is chosen for the opening ceremony. It was never chosen for “luck”.
IOC rule dictates that the opening ceremony must be on a Friday. China originally proposed for 7/25/2008 in it’s application for hosting the games. But after China won the right to host the games, BOCOG wanted to make a change, because July is too hot and it’s is rainy season in Beijing, they wanted to open the games in September instead. However, US network NBC was not happy about that because the conflict between the Olympics and some US sporting events. NBC has spent tremendous amount of money on broadcasting rights in the US, therefore they have a lot of say in this. So the BOCOG had to reconsider, but they still wanted to push the opening ceremony back as late as possible. So they looked up the schedules. The first round of the 2008 US Open starts on 8/25/2008, you subtract 16 days from 8/25 and look for a Friday, and what do you get? 08/08/2008.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Isn’t this like seeing Jesus in a grilled Cheese sandwich or the virgin mary created by the frost on a window??????
July 16th, 2008 at 11:51 am
@AC
I appreciate your information, thanks.
March 26th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
The stone is the truth about what is going to happen to the Chinese Communist Party. 50 million have already quit the Party and soon it will collapse. To know the truth about the CCP go online and read The Nine Commentaries…………..thank you………..jeff