Liuyu Lake is a renowned tourist destination in Taiwan. I remember from my childhood, there was an introduction to Liuyu Lake in my elementary school textbook, which greatly inspired me. Since we’ve come, we decided to visit it. The driver drove the car, carrying Gao Liang, Lin Guojun, and Wang Zhiqiang, to the scenic area of Liuyu Lake, a destination long cherished by many. Also known as Shuangtan, Liuyu Lake is Taiwan’s largest natural lake. It was formerly known as Shuicao Lake or Longhu Lake and has long been celebrated as a scenic gem. Located in the central part of the Shuicao Village in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, the lake features a small island in its midst. To the north, the lake’s shape resembles the sun, and to the south, it resembles a crescent moon—thus earning its name, Liuyu Lake. The lake covers an area of square kilometers, with an average depth of about 4 meters and a lake surface elevation of meters. Surrounded by mountains, the lake water is clear and transparent, and the natural island within the lake appears like a brilliant pearl, creating a beautiful landscape described as “Green A Qing dynasty scholar, Zeng Zhenlin, described it as "Mountains with water within mountains, mountains rising above the sky, water flowing in peace"; Chen Shu, while touring the lake, remarked, "I only feel the water encircling the mountains, yet it seems the mountains are truly within the water." For over three centuries, Liuyu Lake has stood out as the crown jewel among Taiwan's scenic attractions, renowned across the world. Within the scenic area, visitors come in a steady stream, creating a lively atmosphere. As the driver parks the vehicle, Gao Liang, supported by three companions, steps forward with vibrant energy and charm, immediately capturing the attention of many tourists. "Wow! He looks so impressive—have I seen him before?" one female visitor exclaims. "Can being handsome really feed a family? Does he have any real prestige?" a young entrepreneur shouts to the woman. "He's at most a mid-level professional in Taiwan," another local speculates. "No, he must be from the mainland—listen to his accent, yes, it's clearly a coastal dialect!" a visitor observes. People were bustling with chatter, but Gao Liang simply paid no attention, calmly walking off. "Hey! Landlubber! Stand there! I want to have a match with you!" The up-and-comer stopped Gao Liang. "Alright!" Gao Liang sharply turned around, leaving everyone in awe. The crowd was enjoying themselves and had already proposed various contest ideas. What would they compete in? After all, this was a tourist destination—surely, it would be rowing across the lake. The one who could first reach the small island in the middle from the shore would win. Only, two pairs of couples were needed for the competition. The on-site host would handle this—she would write the names of the daughters from 18 local families on the back of cards, while the front would display Arabic numbers. Gao Liang and the up-and-comer would each pick a card. If they selected a promising daughter with strong rowing skills, and if their own rowing abilities and coordination with each other were excellent, they would have a strong chance of winning the rowing contest. What should they choose? What would Gao Liang need to win? When everyone was staring at the host unveiling one badge after another, the up-and-comer couldn't stop grinning, "I've got it! I'm choosing her!" "Number 8!" the up-and-comer shouted loudly. What would Gao Liang choose? Gao Liang glanced at his watch—the hands were precisely pointing at 12. Well then, it's 12 then. Gao Liang had officially announced his choice. The up-and-comer was thrilled, dancing excitedly, saying, "I've won! Let's bring out the Water Society girl now!" "Water Society girl?" Gao Liang had never heard that before. As everyone turned their gaze, wow! How unattractive was she! Her waist was like a barrel, and she had a crooked nose—definitely a dinosaur-type. The up-and-comer was stunned, giving the host subtle gestures of confusion, while the host looked equally puzzled. "Please bring out the number 12 girl!" The crowd erupted into excitement. "Unfortunately, the girl hasn't arrived—only her mother is here!" someone in the crowd remarked. "Go get her!" the crowd chorused. After a while, a graceful young woman appeared in the crowd, dressed in traditional indigenous attire from Taiwan's highlands. Slender in build, with delicate eyebrows, fine hair, fair skin, a straight and firm chest, a well-rounded backside, and a captivating mouth—what a stunning beauty! Truly elegant! The nouveau-riche guests were envious, nearly driven mad. To the female tourist (who was also his girlfriend), he exclaimed, "For goodness' sake, it was supposed to be on the 8th—how did it suddenly become the 12th?" "That's just bad luck on your part!" she replied. "The person you're comparing her to is simply gorgeous, and she's just incredibly lucky!" "I'm sorry," he said, "I had specifically intended for it to be the 8th. Unfortunately, the computer system malfunctioned—there were garbled codes, and the order got reversed!" Clearly, the host had been influenced by the nouveau-riche couple, who had conspired together, though ultimately their efforts fell short. Huang Hao didn't use his ability of spatial perception—seemingly, the heavens had finally bestowed upon him a magnificent beauty. But he was wrong—before he could even recognize the beautiful woman, she had already moved on. High-light’s keen eyesight finally came into play at this moment; though seeing only her back, he could now make out her true face. Wow! Was it her? "Xia Yu! Come back!" High-light hurried forward, calling out excitedly. Xia Yu didn’t stop walking, but the host, responding to strong audience demands, stepped in: "Miss Xia Yu, please stay!" Xia Yu paused for a moment, then intended to move away. However, an elderly woman from the mountain ethnic group, dressed in traditional attire, stepped in and pleaded, "Little Yu! Have you forgotten to give your mother the face? Have you forgotten our customs? Don’t you remember the story your mother told you?" "Mom! Mom!" Tears streamed down Xia Yu’s face as she said, "Please stop! I promise! I’ll participate!" The moment of brilliance had arrived. The nouveau riche couple, Gao Liang and Xia Yu—the dinosaur lady—paired up, each boarding a small boat, with the man rowing in front and the woman behind. This was the rowing game. It was very popular at Liyue Lake, drawing onlookers who stopped to watch. The scene was truly lively, as the on-site announcements, set against a soft background melody, featured a gentle, sweet-voiced tour guide telling a touching story: "Long, long ago, on the beautiful island of Taiwan, there lived a brave young man named Da Jian and a lovely young woman named Shui She, who deeply admired each other and often met beneath the trees. In this lake dwelled two evil dragons. One day, as the sun passed across the sky, the male dragon leaped up and swallowed it whole. At night, as the moon moved across the sky, the female dragon also leaped and swallowed the moon. The two dragons swam around the lake, alternately spitting out and gulping down the sun and the moon, their movements resembling a game of tossing and striking large balls." They only cared about their own fun, never imagining that without the sun and the moon, the world would lose its day and night, trees would wither, birds would fall silent, and the ripening rice ears in the fields would shrivel. Households would run out of grain, cattle and sheep would grow thin, and life would soon become unbearable. Dajian and Shuicao decided to bring back the sun and the moon for the world. But how could they kill the evil dragon? Dajian and Shuicao quietly slipped into the cave where the dragon lived, and overheard the dragon's greatest fears—the golden axe and the golden scissors buried deep beneath Ali Mountain. After enduring great hardships, braving wind and rain, and traversing mountains and rivers, they finally reached the foot of Ali Mountain and dug out the golden axe and the golden scissors. Then they returned to the big pond, where just then two evil dragons were playing with the sun and the moon. Dajian leaped into the pond, raised his golden axe, and struck the dragon so hard that it bled profusely and was wounded all over. Shuicao, at the right moment, used her golden scissors to cut through the dragon's belly. Two evil dragons had died, yet the sun and the moon still sank into the pond. Da-jian-ge removed the eyes of the male dragon and swallowed them whole; Shui-She-ge removed the eyes of the female dragon and also swallowed them whole. They transformed into giants, standing in the pond like two towering mountains. Da-jian-ge exerted his strength to lift the sun upward, while Shui-She-ge pulled up palm trees along the pond's edge to support the sun, raising it into the sky. Then Shui-She-ge lifted the moon with her strength, and Da-jian-ge used palm trees to lift the moon into the sky as well. The sun and the moon now hung high in the heavens, shining brightly upon the earth, bringing life back to all things. The grass and trees revived, birds resumed their songs, and rice fields once again bore grain. People cheered and rejoiced. From that day on, Da-jian-ge and Shui-She-ge became two majestic mountains, standing forever by the pond's side. Later, the people named this large pond the "Day-Moon Pond," and the two mountains the "Da-jian Mountain" and "Shui-She Mountain Until now, every autumn, people still gather in beautiful attire, holding bamboo poles and colorful balls, coming to the Liuyu Lake to perform the ball-keeping dance, imitating the young heroes Dajian and Shuise, throwing the balls into the sky and then using the bamboo poles to keep them aloft, in tribute to these two youthful heroes.