The Giant Spirit is a god born from the primal energy of Yin and Yang. According to legend, he was born near a strange, raised rock at the source of the Fen River. He had the power to shape mountains and rivers, and later became the guardian of the Yellow River, known as the River God of the Yellow River.
For some time, the Giant Spirit was wandering around Mount Hua, enjoying the scenery. One day, he happened to see the Yellow River waters surging into massive waves at the foot of Mount Hua, then winding southward. The Giant Spirit was puzzled. After examining the situation carefully, he discovered that the mountains of Taihua and Shaohua, which were connected, were blocking the river’s path.
What should he do? The Giant Spirit stood in the middle of the Yellow River, gazing at Mount Hua. Suddenly, he noticed that the two peaks of Taihua and Shaohua were separated at the top. He realized that if these two mountains were split apart, the Yellow River could flow freely between them. The Giant Spirit decided that he must split the mountains.
He climbed back to the top of Mount Hua, rested for three days, and on the fourth day, he grasped the peaks of Taihua and Shaohua with his mighty hands. With a loud shout of “Open!”, the two mountains were torn apart. Immediately, the Yellow River surged forward, rushing through the newly created gap. However, the bottoms of the two mountains were not yet fully separated. The Giant Spirit lifted his massive foot and stomped down between the two peaks. With his great strength, the mountains were fully split, and the Yellow River joyfully rushed through the gap, creating enormous waves.
After Taihua and Shaohua were split, a gorge was formed between the two mountains. This gorge acted like a gateframe on both sides of the Yellow River, and people began to refer to this place as the “Dragon Gate.”
Before the river reached the Dragon Gate, the water was confined between high mountain valleys, like a wild beast trapped in a narrow space, roaring in frustration. As the river surged and raged, it reached the entrance of the Dragon Gate. With a sharp turn, the waves crashed violently into the cliffs. Forced to reverse direction, the water collided with giant rocks on the opposite shore. After repeatedly smashing into obstacles, the water was forced to retreat but soon encountered a massive reef in the riverbed. It seemed to become enraged, and with a roar, it surged upward into the sky. After a great commotion, it trembled and fell back to the valley floor, finally escaping through the Dragon Gate.
To this day, the Giant Spirit’s finger, hand, and foot imprints, left from his immense strength when splitting the mountains, can still be seen on Mount Hua.