# One Incense Pillar (DD-682) > One Incense Pillar (Yizhuxiang, 'one stick of incense') is a limestone karst pillar in the Enshi Grand Canyon, a national 5A scenic area and geopark in Enshi, western Hubei. Scenic-area descriptions give it a height of 150 m, a base diameter of 6 m and a minimum diameter of 4 m. They attribute its stability to flat-lying Triassic limestone beds with high compressive strength. Tourism and media sources say it has withstood several major earthquakes, though I found no independent geological documentation of specific quakes. Local Tujia legend says a deity gave the pillar to the people as an incense stick to light in times of disaster. The canyon itself runs about 108 km. - Department: Locations (also Nature) - First published: 2025-12-21 - Last updated: 2025-12-21 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/one-incense-pillar/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## Quick facts - **DD-682-F01**: One Incense Pillar is about 150 m tall and 4 m wide at its narrowest. _(Write-up · Exhibit E (The legend))_ - **DD-682-F02**: It's made of horizontally bedded Triassic limestone. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Why it stands))_ ## Write-up 150 m tall, 4 m wide. A limestone spire in Hubei's Enshi Grand Canyon. 1. **Where**: The pillar stands among the cliffs and peaks of the roughly 108 km Enshi Grand Canyon in western Hubei, a national 5A scenic area and geopark. 2. **Size**: Scenic-area descriptions give it a height of 150 m, a base diameter of 6 m and a minimum diameter of 4 m. 3. **Why it stands**: It's made of Triassic limestone in horizontal beds with high compressive strength. With no tilting or slipping layers, it resists wind and rain. 4. **Earthquakes**: Travel and media sources say it has survived several major earthquakes. I found no independent geological record of which ones. 5. **The legend**: Tujia legend says a deity gave the people the pillar as an incense stick to light in times of disaster, and it's also been called the 'razor stone'. ## Related case files - [Three Whale Rock (DD-703)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/three-whale-rock/): Another striking rock formation - [Mount Bokty (DD-706)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/mount-bokty/): Another solitary rock landmark - [Buoyancy Bridge II (DD-658)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/buoyancy-bridge-ii/): Another attraction in Enshi, Hubei - [Lingshan Lift (DD-707)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/lingshan-lift/): Another dramatic Chinese scenic landscape ## Reel vs. record - **Missing base width**: it's about 6 m across at the base and 4 m at its narrowest (scenic-area figures). - **Unclear**: 'defies earthquakes' comes from tourism and media sources. I found no independent record of specific earthquakes it survived. - **Missing explanation**: its stability is attributed to horizontal, strong Triassic limestone beds, not to defying gravity. - **Missing name**: in Chinese it's Yizhuxiang ('one stick of incense'), a name tied to a Tujia legend about a gift from a deity. - **Unclear age**: sources differ ('over a thousand years' vs 'tens of millions of years'). The rock is Triassic, but the pillar's age as a landform isn't documented. ## Video: One Incense Pillar: 150 m Tall, 4 m Wide - Duration: 19.8 s · Published: 2025-12-21 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DSihGk6ElN3.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? The One Incense Pillar is a remarkable natural rock formation in the Enshi Grand Canyon, located in Hubei Province, central China. Rising ~150 m from the canyon floor, yet narrowing to just 4 m across its slimmest point, this slender karst pillar defies gravity and earthquakes by standing tall among steep cliffs and rugged terrain. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: In which Chinese province is One Incense Pillar?** A: Hubei, in the Enshi Grand Canyon. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Where) · CGTN: One Incense Pillar wows tourists in Enshi Canyon in central China; China Top Trip: Enshi Grand Canyon)_ **Q: About how tall is the pillar?** A: About 150 m. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Size) · Trip.com: One Incense Pillar (Yizhuxiang) attraction guide; CGTN: One Incense Pillar wows tourists in Enshi Canyon in central China)_ **Q: How wide is it at its narrowest point?** A: About 4 m. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Size) · Trip.com: One Incense Pillar (Yizhuxiang) attraction guide; CGTN: One Incense Pillar wows tourists in Enshi Canyon in central China)_ **Q: What rock is the pillar made of?** A: Triassic limestone. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Why it stands) · Trip.com: One Incense Pillar (Yizhuxiang) attraction guide)_ **Q: What does the Chinese name Yizhuxiang mean?** A: One stick of incense. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (The legend) · China Top Trip: Enshi Grand Canyon; Trip.com: One Incense Pillar (Yizhuxiang) attraction guide)_ ## Sources - [CGTN: One Incense Pillar wows tourists in Enshi Canyon in central China](https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514e7a416a4e79457a6333566d54/index.html) - [China Top Trip: Enshi Grand Canyon](https://www.chinatoptrip.com/enshi-grand-canyon.html) - [Trip.com: One Incense Pillar (Yizhuxiang) attraction guide](https://qa.trip.com/moments/poi-yizhuxiang-column-20963182/) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "One Incense Pillar." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-682, last updated Dec 21, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/one-incense-pillar/