In 1987,Yancheng received two swans as a gift from,Hulunbeier,Inner Mongolia.One is called Dawn,the other Muren.A young girl,Xu Xiujuan came with the swans to take care of them.She was born into a family famous for raising cranes.At the age of 17,she went with ber father to Zhalong Natural Reserve in Qiqihaher to breed cranes.She was reported as the first woman to raise cranes in China.

　　Those swans,having been used to the wildness in the north,did not find their new habitat agreeable.Dawn suddenly flew away when Xu Xiujuan was bathing the two swans.Xiujuan was deeply troubled and went looking for the bird everywhere.When she finally found Dawn almost 11 o`clock that night.Muren flew away.At five o`clock the next afternoon,Xiujuan,having been looking for the swan for almost one day,was overjoyed to hear the cry of the swan on the other side of the river.She started swimming across the river,but she was too tired to finish the trip and drowned in the cold water.

　　Several days after her death,a statue of this brave lady was established in the neighboring county and the local seniors said that Xiujuan had become a "Crane Fairy",a belief held by the local people hoping that she would rest in peace after death and live rorever in their memories.