The Location of Shennongjia

行摄大九湖(李树国摄)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.

神农架之地

神农架位于中国中部的湖北省西部边陲，东瞰荆襄，西望巴蜀，南通三峡，北倚武当，雄踞秦巴山脉东端，与武陵山脉相邻，共扼长江三峡，是我国唯一以“林区”命名的省辖行政区，总面积3253平方公里。神农架森林覆盖率超91.1%，景观资源丰富，享有“地球物种基因库”、“生物乐园”之美誉。

这里拥有全球中纬度地区保存最完好的原始森林，国家一级保护动物金丝猴等珍稀动物以神农架为家，其他地区所罕见的白化动物（白熊、白鹿、白猴、白虎、白蛇、白獐等）也在神农架频现，“植物活化石”珙桐、冷杉等扎根于神农架山间。

据湖北省野生动植物保护总站副站长朱兆泉介绍，正是由于当地突出的生物多样性，神农架被中国环境保护部列为全国32个生物多样性保护优先区域之一。长期以来，神农架以其独一无二的神秘气质，令海内外无数游客心往神驰、流连忘返。

2016年7月，在土耳其伊斯坦布尔举行的第40届世界遗产大会上，中国湖北神农架被列入世界遗产名录，成为湖北省第一处、中国第十一处世界自然遗产。自此，神农架成为中国首个获得联合国教科文组织“人与生物圈自然保护区、世界地质公园、世界遗产”三大保护制度共同录入的“三冠王”名录遗产地。

茶园秋景（霍国军摄）An autumn view in a tea field(Photo by Huo Guojun)