Shennongjia: Mysterious Primary Forests in Central China

By staff reporter MENG JIAXIN

It is home to a number of rare animals and one of the best preserved subtropical primitive forests.

Shennongjia encompasses a vast area of perfectly-preserved primitive forests, which have become the source of a lot of mysteries.

IN central China, there is a mysterious forests region. According to Chinese mythology, Shennong, one of the ancestors of the Chinese nation, also known as Yandi, once tested a variety of herbs himself in order to find the right one that would save the sick. Another widely circulated tale around the place is that wild men were once spotted.

Legend has it that during Shennong’s journey to find the right herb, he came across a steep mountain covered with dense forests. He built a wooden ladder, and climbed up the mountain, finding 400 kinds of medicinal herbs. In memory of his contribution to the health of society, the mountain was named Shennongjia, which literally means “Shennong ladder.”

Shennongjia is located in the northwestern part of Hubei Province, bordering the Yangtze River in the south and facing the Wudang Mountains in the north. It is a place where the Daba Mountain Range and the Qinling Mountains meet. It spans an area of around 3,250 square kilometers, with the highest peak, the Shennong Peak, reaching 3,106.2 meters in height, and the lowest point, the Shizhu River Valley, only 398 meters above sea level. Shennongjia is home to the largest primary forests in central China and a national nature reserve. With the only intact subtropical primary forests in the mid-latitude region of the northern hemisphere, it has won the title of “green miracle” at 31 degrees north latitude.

One of the first things many people learn about Shennongjia is the tale of the wild man, but after visiting the area, they find that the pristine natural landscape and biological diversity in that area add more mysteries to this solitude region.