Photos of flooded poets' statues go viral

When a city in southwest China was suffering from flooding, photos of two famous poets' statues surrounded by water unexpectedly went viral online, Chengdu Economic Daily reported.

A flood peak, the largest in six years, hit Yibin, Sichuan Province, on July 17, causing two statues of famous poets of Song Dynasty (960-1279), Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, to become surrounded by water.

Photos of the poets braving the storm to "recite poems" unexpectedly went viral.

When the flood waters began to retreat, some residents discovered that Su's statue had disappeared from sight, leaving Huang on his own. This soon raised concerns that Su had been washed away by the fierce flood.

However, the next day, they were happy to see that Su's statue had just fallen to the ground.

Humorous netizens also found a good explanation for the incident. "He hasn't disappeared," someone commented. "He just got drunk and fell asleep after drinking too much Wuliangye."

Wuliangye is one of the most popular spirits in China while Yibin is famous for its Wuliangye distillery.

Many residents even especially went to the site to take photos with the two statues after the story went viral.

According to the local landscape bureau, Su's statue will be repaired and reinforced after the flood season.