The Ridge of Central China - The Primitive and Mysterious Shennongjia

Shennongjia Tourist Area, officially known as Shennongjia International Ecotourism Area, is a national AAAAA-level scenic spot; located in the Shennongjia Forest District in the northwest of Hubei Province, China, with a total area of over 3000 square kilometers; it is the first in China to be jointly included in the 'Triple Crown' list of heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Man and the Biosphere Reserve, the World Geopark, and the World Heritage conservation systems. The name Shennongjia comes from an ancient legend about Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs: In ancient times, the Yan Emperor Shennong came to a high mountain to taste all kinds of herbs. He led the people to build wooden houses and ladders, collected 400 kinds of good medicine, and wrote the 'Shennong Bencao Jing' (Classic of Herbal Medicine). To report back to the Heavenly Emperor, Yan Emperor Shennong 'built a wooden altar and flew to the sky on a crane.' In remembrance of the ancestor's kindness, later generations named this high mountain Shennongjia. Shennongding Scenic Area is located in the southwest of Shennongjia Tourist Area. It is a national AAAAA-level scenic spot and the largest, most ecologically sound, and most scenic core ecotourism area of Shennongjia Tourist Area, with a well-preserved North Subtropical forest ecosystem; at an altitude of 1500~3106.2 meters, covering an area of over 800 square kilometers, with a forest coverage rate of 98%, it has more than 3900 species of higher vascular plants, over 330 species of vertebrates, and more than 100 species of animals and plants under national key protection, such as the golden monkey, golden eagle, and leopard. The area boasts a wealth of geomorphological and geological landscapes, and its intact forest ecosystem is an important water conservation area and ecological barrier for the Three Gorges Project and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Along the tourist road, there are more than 10 scenic spots such as Dalongtan, Xiaolongtan, Jinhou Ridge, Shennong Source, Shennong Camp, Shennong Valley, Liangfengya, Charming Chong, Banbiyan, and Taiziya.