Renowned as one of the three famous towers south of the Yangtze River, Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, of Central China's Hubei Province, has many beautiful fairy tales attending its name.

All of them concern an immortal riding a yellow crane into the clouds. A very popular poem written by Cui Hao of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) added to its fame and mystery. However, the cranes are supposed to have been gone for a long time, leaving the tower with a meaningless name.

But that is no longer a problem to the local people today. On April 26, a large-scale cultural activity themed "Cranes return after one thousand years" was held in Yellow Crane Park, Wuhan city, during which more than 3,000 tourists from home and abroad, together with the major media nationwide, enjoyed to their hearts' content the magnificent sight of elegant cranes flying around the tower. It is said that the thousand-year-old legend has become a reality.

Personally, however, I think that the grand occasion was somewhat far-fetched, as the legendary crane had not returned after more than a thousand years. Instead, 26 red-crested cranes had been transported from Northeast China and received training for their flight. It was even reported that on the trial day most of the cranes were reluctant to fly. When forced to do so by their trainers, some were injured and six got lost.

We may not find this so strange or disappointing if we learn a little about the habits of cranes. Red-crested cranes prefer a cold and wet climate, while Wuhan is hot and dry. They live on moors and wetlands, while the tower is surrounded by bustling streets made of concrete. In addition, 3,000 sightseers at the scene amounted to an absolute disaster for the poor, quiet birds. Therefore, they were not "a little shy" as reported, but completely at a loss.

Nevertheless, to see flying cranes circling around the historical tower was a most rewarding sight. Tourists could feast their eyes while businesses enjoyed the money that was rolling in. Moreover, the activity is only set to lasts 20 days, after which the endangered creatures will escape the painful experience and return to their real home.

Sarcastically speaking, there have never been any yellow cranes on earth, nor have there been any other cranes around the Yellow Crane Tower in its history. The romantic old legend has had wise use made of it by commercial interests. Maybe some day we will enjoy a tiger running around the famous Tiger Spring.

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