Legend of Shennong

Henan
🎧  Listen to Introduction

Shennong is the ancestor of human culture who made great contributions to the Chinese nation after Fuxi. He was roughly in the Neolithic period from gathering, fishing and hunting to farming. He taught people to distinguish grains, taste hundreds of herbs, make plows and hoes, and formulated the calendar. He was revered as the god of agriculture and the ancestor of medicine. He was born in the south and was the son of Shaodian. He ruled the world with fire, so he was called Yan Emperor, Chi Emperor, Lieshan Clan, and Lishan Clan. He lived in Tanhuai for a long time. Shennong Mountain is located at the southern foot of Taihang Mountain, 23 kilometers northwest of Qinyang City, Henan Province, with an area of 93 square kilometers. It was once the holy place where Yan Emperor Shennong distinguished grains, tasted hundreds of herbs, and ascended the altar to offer sacrifices to the sky. Shennong Mountain is full of gullies, majestic and spectacular, with a myriad of scenery, dense vegetation, and a variety of herbs. There are many ancient tree species here, such as white pine, cypress, cotinus coggygria, hornbeam oak, and collared Chinese toon, all of which are hundreds to thousands of years old. There are also many rare tree species, such as the mountain cypress unique to my country, the horse thorn unique to North China, the Taihang elm and Taihang flower unique to the local area, etc. The most common Chinese herbal medicines in Shennong Valley are as many as 800 species, such as Bupleurum, mountain ginseng, chicken head ginseng, indigo, forsythia, honeysuckle, etc. The origin of the famous "Four Huai Medicines" is here. Walking in Shennong Valley, breathing fresh air, and taking a "medicinal bath" with your whole body and mind are beneficial to curing diseases and keeping fit. Therefore, people say: "Take a walk in Shennong Valley, and all diseases will disappear without treatment." Qinyang has a very rich legend about Shennong. The legend not only shows the breadth and regionality of folk myths, but also provides relevant basis for our research on the ecological culture of our ancestors. In 2010, "Shennong Legend" was listed in the "Top Ten Major New Discoveries in the First Intangible Cultural Heritage Survey of Henan Province". In December 2011, "Shennong Legend" was announced by the Henan Provincial People's Government as the third batch of representative projects of Henan Province's intangible cultural heritage. Qinyang City has successively compiled and printed albums such as "The Wonder of the World: Shennong Altar", "The Legend of Shennong Mountain", "Sightseeing in Shennong Mountain", "Selected Poems of Shennong Mountain", "Images of Shennong Mountain", and "Legend of Shennong". (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)

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