The Location of Shennongjia

行攝大九湖(李樹國攝)Hiking around Dajiu Lake(Photo by LiShuguo)

S hennongjia,situated in the western border of Hubei Province,is adjacent to Jing (Jingzhou)and Xiang (Hunan Province)in the east and close to Sichuan Province in the west,with the Three Gorges to its north and the Wudang Mountains in its south.It lies at the eastern end of the Qinling and Daba mountain ranges neighboring the Wuling Mountains and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.Shennongjia is China’s only provincial-level administrative district officially named a“Forestry District,”with a total area of 3,253 square kilometers.With a forest coverage rate amounting to 91.1%,it is abundant in natural resources and known as“the gene pool of species on the earth”and“the heaven of all living creatures.”

Shennongjia has a primeval forest that is preserved well in the middle-latitude area.It is home to many rare animals such as the Golden Monkey and albino animals(white bear,white deer,white monkey,white tiger,white snake,white water deer,etc.),which are scarcely seen in other regions.In addition,dove trees and firs grow here,which are both known as living fossils.

According to Zhu Zhaoquan, deputy director of the Hubei Wildlife Conservation Station,Shennongjia has been given a priority to be protected by the Ministry of Environmental Protection among the 32 biological diversity regions because of its biological diversity.For a long time,tourists from home and abroad have been so fascinated by Shennongjia’s unique mystique that they don’t ever want to leave.

In July of 2016,Shennongjia was listed as a World Heritage Site at the 40thWorld Heritage Committee held in Istanbul of Turkey,becoming Hubei’s 1stand China’s 11thworld natural heritage.Moreover, it has since become the first heritage site in China that is simultaneously listed by UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Program (MAB),World Geopark,and World Heritage.

神農架之地

神農架位于中國中部的湖北省西部邊陲，東瞰荊襄，西望巴蜀，南通三峽，北倚武當，雄踞秦巴山脈東端，與武陵山脈相鄰，共扼長江三峽，是我國唯一以“林區”命名的省轄行政區，總面積3253平方公里。神農架森林覆蓋率超91.1%，景觀資源豐富，享有“地球物種基因庫”、“生物樂園”之美譽。

這里擁有全球中緯度地區保存最完好的原始森林，國家一級保護動物金絲猴等珍稀動物以神農架為家，其他地區所罕見的白化動物（白熊、白鹿、白猴、白虎、白蛇、白獐等）也在神農架頻現，“植物活化石”珙桐、冷杉等扎根于神農架山間。

據湖北省野生動植物保護總站副站長朱兆泉介紹，正是由于當地突出的生物多樣性，神農架被中國環境保護部列為全國32個生物多樣性保護優先區域之一。長期以來，神農架以其獨一無二的神秘氣質，令海內外無數游客心往神馳、流連忘返。

2016年7月，在土耳其伊斯坦布爾舉行的第40屆世界遺產大會上，中國湖北神農架被列入世界遺產名錄，成為湖北省第一處、中國第十一處世界自然遺產。自此，神農架成為中國首個獲得聯合國教科文組織“人與生物圈自然保護區、世界地質公園、世界遺產”三大保護制度共同錄入的“三冠王”名錄遺產地。

茶園秋景（霍國軍攝）An autumn view in a tea field(Photo by Huo Guojun)