White Crane Rock Beam of Stone Fish, located in the Yangtze River in the city of Fuling, is now preparing for applying for world cultural heritage.

White Crane Rock Beam of Stone Fish, located in the Yangtze River in the city of Fuling, which belongs to the southwest Chongqing Municipality, is now preparing for applying for world cultural heritage.

The 1600-meter long White Crane Rock Beam is normally submerged in the water of Fuling Dock, only during lowest level does it show up a little bit. There are engravings of 18 stone fishes and 174 paragraphs of inscriptions on the Beam, recording the lowest water levels from Tang Dynasty (AD763) to Qing Dynasty (AD1685), which is even regarded today as "Yangtze's Most Precious Hydrological Datum".

The local official says the government will protect the rock beam by building an underwater museum, and it will take three to five years to finish prepration for applying for world cultural heritage. And it will be open to the public in June next year.

(CRI.com april 18, 2005)