Shennongjia (Chinese: 神農架) is a forestry district in northwestern Hubei (河北) Province, China. Shennongjia is named after Shennong (神農), once a mythological Chinese ruler who has become a deity in folk religion and is venerated as a culture hero in China.
Shennongjia Savage (神農架野人) is a mystical manlike animal spotted in Shennongjia. The ‘savage’ here is not the real one, only a gimmick to attract (or scare) the tourists.
In Chinese mythology, Shennong taught humans the use of the plow, aspects of basic agriculture, and the use of medicinal plants, so there is a garden of herbs to commemorate him.
This tree is over 1,000 years old and its root is hard like rock. Shennongjia occupies 3,253 square kilometers, while over 90% of its area is virgin forest.
Shennong Altar (神農壇) is composed of nine tripod-style cauldrons and eight gui (簋), tourists can worship their ancestors or pray for god's blessings here.
The statue of the head of Shennong at the sacrificial altar is 21 meters high. The patch of lawn in the middle and the stairs on both sides are representative of the traditional Chinese imperial architecture style.
Shennong has at times been counted amongst the Three Kings (三皇), a group of ancient deities or deified kings of prehistoric China.
