A Marvelous summer resort

Meandering forward like a giant dragon， Shennongjia occupies a part of the Bachu area and coils itself around the Qinling Mountains. For nature lovers， strolling in the virgin forest would be an incredible experience， especially in the burning summer. Apart from being the treasure trove for those explorers and visitors， the inspiration source for those men of letters， and the revelry for those drum dancers， Shennongjia has been gradually thrust into the limelight as one of the best cities in China to escape the summer heat. In the summer days， with the eyeful sumptuous and verdant forest， as well as rushing rain and whistling wind， Shennongjia turns out to be a fairyland.

Beckoning lakes insulated from summer

The natives often say： “If you haven’t been to the Dajiuhu Lake National Wetland Park， you have never been to Shennongjia.” As a scenic spot located in southwest Shennongjia， Dajiuhu Lake looks like the outpost of the Daba Mountains.

Dajiuhu Lake’s name comes from the fact that it consists of nine lakes. Connected by a flowing stream， a total of nine different lakes are surrounded by mountains. As the largest and highest wetland in central China， Dajiuhu Lake is located at the junction of Sichuan， Chongqing and Hubei. In summer， there is a fairyland filled with a diverse collection of blooming flowers. Moreover， due to its unique environment， Dajiuhu Lake National Wetland Park serves as a perfect inland sub-tropical forest ecosystem where precious plants such as liriodendron chinense and cercidiphyllum japonicum multiply， and rare animals such as golden monkey， white crane and golden eagle live.

Dajiuhu Lake National Wetland Park is well-known for its three types of beauty. Firstly， surrounded by mountains， Dajiuhu Lake National Wetland Park is mainly a mountain basin which is both spacious and peaceful. Secondly， the grassland and thick forest provide an ideal living condition for many different types of plants. The combination of beautiful red crabapple trees， limpid river and majestic sprawling grassland also makes for a pleasant sightseeing experience. And thirdly， herds of cattle and flocks of sheep make this place more dynamic， and the world under the surface of the lake fills this place with wonder.

Dajiuhu Lake is not only a scenic spot with sparkling lakes in the general sense， but also a land with historical sites. It is difficult to imagine that the quiet and peaceful Dajiuhu Lake was once troubled by flames of war. Behind a series of noted historical sites including Horse Bathing Pond， Tomb of the Imperial Concubines and Armor Unloading Site， there are engrossing stories one after another.

By virtue of its moderate weather and the splendid natural scenery， the average daily temperature of Dajiuhu Lake National Wetland Park in summer is only about 15 degrees， making it a perfect place to spend hot summer. Surrounding by water， you will be bathed in coolness and never feel the insufferable summer hot. If you are an outdoor enthusiast， you can also go camping and fishing， play cage football or enjoy role-playing with the video game Counter Strike. Being intoxicated in such views， you will be reluctant to wake up any longer.

A land of natural wonders

Mountains in Shennongjia seem like rough men， bold and vigorous， while waters in Shennongjia can be delicately ladies， gentle and dainty. It is a blessing for Shennongjia that the God has created her， and it is a pride for the God that Shennongjia nestles in his arms. Shennongjia owns breathtaking beautiful stillness， with a kind of purity that deserves your tenderness. She hints mysteriousness that attracts you to linger on with her. I only wish I could revel in this fantastic Shennongjia forever！

Located in the south part of Shennongjia， Fengjingya Scenic Spot is unique and enchanting. Within the valley， there are a lot of strange stones. The stone forest stands against endless emerald-green mountains， with different shapes. At a far distance， there are thousands peaks that look like dancing dragon and snake. When you look up the huge mountains， you can approach their heavy souls and admire their deep silence. When you look around to get a broad view of the peaks， the forest fluctuates like the sea waves. With the blazing sun， rosy clouds and spectacular sights and boundless forest， Fengjingya Scenic Spot creates a land of idyllic beauty， without a slight touch of mannerism.

After walking for a few minutes， Xiangxiyuan Scenic Area would simply appear in front of you. Xiangxiyuan in Chinese literally means the source of Xiangxi River — a tributary of Yantze River. Year after year， this marvelous river creates beautiful legends one after another. About the sources about Xiangxiyuan’s name， there was a legend that Wang Zhaojun （one of the four beauties in ancient China） lived near the river and often washed her hands in the river， therefore the river became fragrant. During the hot summer， Xiangxiyuan offers travellers many kinds of tour items， such as receiving hydrotherapy， enjoying a cup of tea in the tea house， camping， exploring primitive forest， searching for wild man and the habitat of golden monkey.

Hongping Gallery， a small valley area with the length of 15 kilometers， was praised as a natural gallery. There are one river， two brooks， three waterfalls， four bridges， five deep pools， six caves， seven towers， eight strongholds， nine stones and 36 peaks. Countless of wild flowers are dotting around the waterfalls， pools， caves and streams， forming a long beautiful gallery， hence its name. By virtue of its peaks， cave stones， rivers， waterfalls and bridges， there is a comprehensive description about the Hongping Gallery： “Wonderful， strange， dangerous and elegant”.