In my hometown, the beautiful city of Hong Kong, lies a very special rock formation:  The Lion’s Rock. But to my young self, growing up around Walt Disney’s Lion King, it was the Pride Rock. The rock formation dates back to the Upper Jurassic Period, roughly 140 million years ago. Like most of the rocks in Hong Kong, the Lion’s Rock is mostly made of Volcanic granite. It is made of This is a major attraction in Hong Kong and has great significance in Hong Kong’s history. Before the Lion Rock Tunnel was built (a tunnel through the mountain, to get to the other side of the town), people would hike the lion’s trail to deliver messages and food every day.

Sitting at the entrance of the Lion ‘s Rock tunnel is a smaller, natural rock statue, called the Amah Rock. “Amah”, in Cantonese, means mother. The rock loosely resembles a woman with a child on her back, facing the sea. The legend says that a woman would bring her son to this hilltop, watching over shore, awaiting the arrival of her husband, a fisherman at sea. Little did she know that her husband had already drowned. Days go by and months, and yet the woman does not give up, till the day she passes. As a reward for her loyalty, the Goddess of the Sea made her body into a statue so her spirit can reunite with her husband up in the heavens. The Amah Rock is often a place where people (single and couples) make wishes. It is also a symbol of loyalty and faith.

Both the Lion’s Rock and Amah Rock have benefitted Hong Kong people significantly, though one practically and the other spiritually. The natural rock formations mostly likely formed over time due to erosion. But the structure of these formations and the resemblance they possess are stunning noticeable. Whether civilization emerged around these rocks as a result is certainly an interesting question. If not, it surely is a spectacular coincidence.

Reference:

http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_cou/cou_vis_cou_lr/cou_vis_cou_lr.html
http://travel.cnn.com/hong-kong/life/top-10-parks-and-nature-reserves-hong-kong-615373

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Rock