Tourists flock to get a rare glimpse of China's 'mystical turtle' island

Hordes of Chinese tourists have rushed to catch a rare sight of an enormous rock formation resembling the looks of a turtle after it emerged from the river due to dropped water levels.

The spectacular island, which was usually submerged, recently appeared from the river after rising temperatures drove the water to an extremely low level.

Local residents have billed the sight as the ‘mystical turtle’ because it looks like a giant turtle lying on its back.

Stunning images released by local government has captured the scenic rock standing in the middle of the Yangtze River in the south-western Chinese city Chongqing.

The ‘turtle rock’ is about six-metre (40 feet) tall and forty-metre high (130 feet), said the authorities in a social media post.

Tourists are spotted swarming to the riverside as they excitedly pose pictures with the ‘turtle rock’.

‘People believed that turtles symbolise longevity, so we all came to see,’ a resident told Pear Video.

‘Also, because everyone was under the lockdown for too long. When there is something rare appears, people all flock to see it,’ he added.

The rock formation is, in fact, part of Guanyin Ridge, a historical natural harbour that was once used during the Qing Dynasty and Sino-Japanese War, according to Lan Yong, a history professor from Southwest University.

American warships were stationed at the natural port while the US was helping the Chinese defeat the invasion from the Japanese army, the expert said.

The city of Chongqing with over 30 million residents is a sprawling municipality at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers in southwestern China.