Every mystical place has its own legend; here the most popular legend about Tioman Island goes something like this…
Once upon a time, a Chinese dragon princess was in love with a Singaporean prince. One day she decided to go to visit him.
The powerful princess opened her large wings and started flying over the country, observing the people below her. After few hours she started passing above the sea but decided to continue even when she started to feel tired.
Suddenly a storm started; exhausted she noticed a beautiful area in the crystal clear water of the South China Sea and decided it was time to rest. She gently lay down in the water, enjoying the freshness and the beauty of the sky, warming her body by the sun. She finally fell asleep, completely relaxed by the beautiful atmosphere.
When she woke she noticed animals who took shelter on her flank. She noticed monkeys climbing on her body, colourful fish hiding among her legs and travellers relaxing on her belly. Charmed by this atmosphere she created, she suddenly realized she shouldn’t be enclosed within a palace, but could become a princess of the sea offering protection to everyone who needed it.
Using her power, she dug her legs deep in the bottom of the ocean and they became rocks and corals. She deployed her wings around her and transformed them into a tree, covering her body with jungle. Finally, she gave a last look to the life growing around and on her, to the sea she loved so much and to the sky she would never cross again and transformed herself entirely into rocks.
And Pulau Tioman was born, offering a warm shelter in the middle of the ocean. Today the twin peaks, the emblematic mount of the island, (which are usually surrounded by a small fog) are the last remnants of her horn. These remind us of the sacrifice she made and some say you can feel her soul still living here, protecting everything and everyone living and traveling on the island.