Shennongjia Scenic Area
Shengnongjia, known as Shengnongjia Forestry District, is located at the northwest of Hubei Province. This primeval and vast land of forests offers some of the most beautiful and mysterious sceneries and the best reserved unrecorded era’s scenery. Shennongjia was approved as a nature reserve for state-level forest and wildlife in 1986, and included into Man and Biosphere Reserve Network of UNESCO in1990.
What to see ?
Shengnongjia is so famous for at least two reasons. The first is its abundance of rare plants and wild animals. The second is the emergence of "wild men", actually an ape-like creature akin to American "Bigfoot".
Plants & Animals
Shennongjia is hailed as "the gene pool of species" and the sanctuary for endangered plants and animals. It is also a paradise for travelers and hikers. In Shennongjia, there are 3,400 species of vascular plants and 493 species of beasts, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians. And there are 26 species of rare plants and 73 species of rare animals including golden monkeys are first-grade under state protection.
Mystery of Wild Men
A gossip about wild men is widely spread in Shennongjia that someone used to see a “man” with convex forehead and disheveled red hair haunt in the valley. It is said that the “man” behaves rudely and it is hard to escape if someone is caught by him. Some persistent explorers never stop find such “men”, however, what they could discover is only some footprints which are larger than normal human beings’. Until this day, this mystery is till under exploration.
Shennongjia Scenic Area
Shennonjia Scenic Area is located in the south of Shennongjia Forestry District. it is composed of four parts: Shennongding Scenic Spot in the southwest (Shennongding Peak, Dajiu Lake, etc), Yantian Scenic Spot in northwest (including Yanziya Mountian, Yanzi Cave, Swallow Valley, Heaven Gate Valley, Hongping Gallary, etc); Xiangxi Yuan Scenic Spot in southeast and Jade Spring River scenic spot in the northwest (including Shengnongjia Ecomuseum, Wushan Lake, etc).
The highlights and popular attractions in Shengnongjia include Shengnong Ding (Shennong Peak), Shengnongjia Skifield, Hongping Valley, Dajiu Lake, Xiangxi River, Yanzi Cave, etc. Most of them are distributed in Muyu Town.
Travel Tips
Add: Shennongjia Forestry District, 260 kilometers from Yichang, 280 kilometers from Shiyan, in the west border of Hubei Province.
Opening time: 08:00- 17:00
Best time to visit: May-October.
Recommended time for a visit: 2 days.
How to get there: take private vehicle or coaches from the city of Shiyan or Yichang.
Shennongjia of Yichang is possibly the only place in middle latitude region of the world with virgin temperate forests and boasts the ridge of central China. Its main peak Shennong rises 3106 meters above sea level. Shennongjia means "Shennong's ladder". The name Shennong comes from the legend of Yan Emperor (a legendary emperor and ancestor of Chinese nation in remote antiquity with Shennong being his family name), who visited the mountains in search of herbs to cure illness of local residents.
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