Summer Waters and Deep Valleys

S ome people say that the air conditioning fee in the city for one summer is enough for you to buy a ticket to go to Shennongjia and enjoy a cool summer vacation.For Zhan Yahua,professor at the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine,this is an easy decision.“In the summer,staying in an air-conditioned room is definitely not good for your health.Shennongjia is a better place to go to.”

There are five reasons to go to Shennongjia in the summer season.First,Shennongjia is cool in the summer,especially when it rains.“Beer will soon become cold if you put it into the spring water.After the sunset,the water is chilly,and becomes too cold to even hold some in your palm for more than three seconds!”This is the summer in Shennongjia.Walking in the streets here is like walking in an air-conditioned room.Ifyou want to get up early to watch the sunrise in the morning,a jacket is necessary when climbing,in case the temperature on the top of the mountain is too low.

The second reason is the leisurely life here.Guo Ruitang,a 66-year-old man from Wuhan,has stayed in Muyu Town every summer for many years.“Here,my lifestyle is a lot healthier.”He said,“In the morning,I practice Taiqi in the yard.I usually go for a hike every morning.I meet folks who speak the Wuhan dialect along the way,and I feel as if Iwere living in a small Wuhan.”

九湖霧鶩（潘建翔攝）A lonely duck on foggy Dajiu Lake(Photo by Pan Jianxiang)

The third reason is the mountains,rivers,and the beautiful scenery here.The summer at Dajiu Lake,where the average temperature is about 20℃,brings you an ocean offlowers;at Banbiyan,you can see the ever-changing rays of sunshine,the pure and quiet clouds,the deep blue sky,and the arrow bamboos scattering allover the mountains.You can stroll in the jungle,lingering on both sides,exploring thousands of strange rock formations,looking for the legendary places,and enjoying the coolness ofthis paradise.

The fourth reason is the natural wonders,which frequently appear when it rains.Wonders such as“Foggy Rain in Stone Forest,”“Shennong Cloud Sea,”“Canyon Flying Rainbow,”“June Flying Snow,”and“Fokuang Shinning”make the place a land of fairytales.

And the last reason is camping.At sunset,you can sit at a scenic viewing location cross-legged,and watch the afterglow of the sunset disappear bit by bit, coloring the dusk clouds and everything around you.

Xiangxiyuan(literally Fragrance River),Jiadao River,and Wushan Lake are all good places to visit in summer.

夏近靈水深谷探幽

有人說，在城市一個夏天的空調(diào)費足以去神農(nóng)架度一個清涼的假期。湖北中醫(yī)藥大學(xué)教授詹亞華說得更直接：“夏天，城里人呆在空調(diào)房里肯定對身體不利，所以，最好去神農(nóng)架。”。

夏天到神農(nóng)架康養(yǎng)，有五種理由：

一是清涼爽快，摒棄浮世喧囂。“啤酒放到水里就成了冰啤；太陽落山后便毫無熱意；泉水冰得捧不住三秒鐘！”走在神農(nóng)架的街道，比在空調(diào)房中歇息更為愜意。早起看日出，出發(fā)前需帶棉襖或外套，以御山頂過低的氣溫。

二是生活悠閑，活得自在愜意。66歲的郭瑞棠來自武漢，他多年來一直在木魚鎮(zhèn)避暑。“在木魚，我的生活方式也健康了很多。”郭瑞棠說，“早上在院子里打太極，上午一出門就可以爬山，沿途都是說著武漢話的人，就像生活在一個小武漢。”

三是徜徉山水，盡享奇秀美景。夏天的大九湖是鮮花的海洋，平均氣溫20℃左右。漫步在原始密林里，尋找傳說中野人的蹤跡，享受這份世外桃源般的怡然。詭譎多變的陽光、純潔安靜的白云、湛藍(lán)深沉的天空、漫山遍野的箭竹、姿態(tài)萬千的怪石讓人目不暇接。

四是林區(qū)多雨，自然奇觀頻現(xiàn)。“石林煙雨”“神農(nóng)云海”“峽谷飛虹”“六月飛雪”“佛光普照”等等奇觀競相生輝，人臨其境，恍惚如入仙境。

五是帳篷露營，無限親近自然。日落時分，盤腿坐在觀景臺上，看著夕陽的余暉一點點收起來沉下去，映紅了天邊的云彩和身邊的一切。

香溪源、夾道河和武山湖都是夏游神農(nóng)架很好的去處。