It’s a town that was named after the monument pictured above. The stone was carved to look like a drum and has a crack running thru it. Myth has it that if it crack opens there will be war again. The town of Stone Drum is one of those strategic military spots that has had a bunch of battles. A Tibetian Army during one dynasty, Kublai Khan during another dynasty, and the red army in 1936 all used this town as a crossing point in the river. The Yangtze makes an 180 degree bend here which make crossing easy. They also say that this town made the river turn back toward China.
We literally pushed our way up thru the massive market crowds to the top of a hill to this monument. We sadly left Tom here and proceeded on with Mr. Mao to our next stop and guide.
