Down Shennong Stream in a sampan rowed by Tujia boat trackers rowing to love songs of yesteryear, a memorable journey into quiet side gorges of the Yangtze.

From http://www.china-family-adventure.com/yangtze-river-cruise-china-shennong.html This was tops on our list of Yangtze River excursions! We got to ride on Pea Pod rafts amongst towering cliffs, just beautiful scenery!

SIDE TRIP

This is the clip of Shen Nong Jia drum dance. Shen Nong Jia, a natural forest resort, is situated in the middle of China. It is mountainous area that sits within the boundary of Hubei and Sichuan provinces. This lustrous cluster of deep forest, covers an area of 3,253 square kilometers, and is a combination of four townships, four villages, and one national forest park. The Shen Nong Jia national resort was developed in 1982. China National Council Committee initiated the development, and nominated this area as a Natural Forest and Wild Animal Protection Region. The region covers about 70,000 hectares, with a grand total of over 560 types of insects, 308 species of birds, 47 kinds of fish, and 75 other forms of wild animals.

side trip to 3 Gorges Dam cruise down the Yangtze river.

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 1 (China)

Here is Jenny singing a traditional song with us joining in.

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Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 2 (China)

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 3 (China)

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 4 (China)

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 5 (China)

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 6 (China)

Local farmers on the Shennong Stream in China row and pull tourists along the rapids.

Shennong Stream starts at Mt. Shennong Jia in Hubei Province north of the Yangtze. It comprises of Parrot Gorge and Dragon Boat Gorge with breathtaking scenery. Sailing through the treacherous gorges with lush pine and translucent water, visitors can see spectacular sights like ancient plank roads, ancient cave coffins, aqueous caves, rainbow fountain and rare animals like macaques and mandarin ducks. It is also perfect to experience the culture of Tujia nationality. (The trekkers wear shorts these days, so no need to be embarrassed).

Shennong (traditional Chinese: 神農; simplified Chinese: 神农; pinyin: Shénnóng), also known as the Yan Emperor (炎帝) or the Emperor of the Five Grains (traditional Chinese: 五穀先帝; simplified Chinese: 五谷先帝; pinyin: Wǔgǔ xiāndì), is a legendary ruler of China and culture hero of Chinese mythology who is believed to had lived some 5,000 years ago, and taught ancient China the practices of agriculture. Appropriately, his name means "the Divine Farmer". Considered to be the father of Chinese agriculture, this legendary emperor taught his people how to cultivate grains as food, so as to avoid killing animals. He is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs to test their medical value. The most well-known work attributed to Shennong is the The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic (traditional Chinese: 神農本草經; simplified Chinese: 神农本草经; pinyin: Shénnóng běncǎo jīng) -- first compiled some time during the end of the Western Han Dynasty, several thousand years after Shennong existed -- which lists the various medical herbs such as reishi which were discovered by Shennong and given grade and rarity ratings. This work is considered to be the earliest Chinese pharmacopoeia. It includes 365 medicines derived from minerals, plants, and animals. Shennong is credited with identifying hundreds of medical (and poisonous) herbs by personally testing their properties, which was crucial to the development of Traditional Chinese medicine. Tea, which acts as an antidote against the poisonous effects of some seventy herbs, is also said to be his discovery. Chinese legend places this discovery in 2737 B.C., according to which Shennong first tasted tea from tea leaves on burning tea twigs, which were carried up from the fire by the hot air, and landed in his cauldron of boiling water. Shennong is venerated as the Father of Chinese medicine. He is also believed to have introduced the technique of acupuncture. A close kinsman of the Yellow Emperor, he is said to be a patriarch of the Chinese. The Han Chinese regarded them both as their joint ancestors.He was deified as one of the San Huang for his contributions to mankind. Shennong is said to have played a part in the creation of the Guqin, together with Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor.

Shennong (traditional Chinese: 神農; simplified Chinese: 神农; pinyin: Shénnóng), also known as the Yan Emperor (炎帝) or the Emperor of the Five Grains (traditional Chinese: 五穀先帝; simplified Chinese: 五谷先帝; pinyin: Wǔgǔ xiāndì), is a legendary ruler of China and culture hero of Chinese mythology who is believed to had lived some 5,000 years ago, and taught ancient China the practices of agriculture. Appropriately, his name means "the Divine Farmer". Considered to be the father of Chinese agriculture, this legendary emperor taught his people how to cultivate grains as food, so as to avoid killing animals. He is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs to test their medical value. The most well-known work attributed to Shennong is the The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic (traditional Chinese: 神農本草經; simplified Chinese: 神农本草经; pinyin: Shénnóng běncǎo jīng) -- first compiled some time during the end of the Western Han Dynasty, several thousand years after Shennong existed -- which lists the various medical herbs such as reishi which were discovered by Shennong and given grade and rarity ratings. This work is considered to be the earliest Chinese pharmacopoeia. It includes 365 medicines derived from minerals, plants, and animals. Shennong is credited with identifying hundreds of medical (and poisonous) herbs by personally testing their properties, which was crucial to the development of Traditional Chinese medicine. Tea, which acts as an antidote against the poisonous effects of some seventy herbs, is also said to be his discovery. Chinese legend places this discovery in 2737 B.C., according to which Shennong first tasted tea from tea leaves on burning tea twigs, which were carried up from the fire by the hot air, and landed in his cauldron of boiling water. Shennong is venerated as the Father of Chinese medicine. He is also believed to have introduced the technique of acupuncture. A close kinsman of the Yellow Emperor, he is said to be a patriarch of the Chinese. The Han Chinese regarded them both as their joint ancestors.He was deified as one of the San Huang for his contributions to mankind. Shennong is said to have played a part in the creation of the Guqin, together with Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor.

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 7 (China)

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 8 (China)

Yangtze River Cruise - Shennong Stream 9 (China)

çayın tarihi çay tea hakkında bilgi 5000 yıllık çin shen nong

第7集：万世清香（茶与养生） Tea is the common name of the shrub Camellia sinensis, which which has been cultivated from antiquity in China. This shrub is now widely cultivated in Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java, and other countries. The word 'tea' also refers to the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of this plant, which have been prepared and cured for the market by several recognized methods. Furthermore, the word is used to refer to the aromatic beverage prepared from the cured leaves of the tea shrub by infusion with boiling water. In one popular Chinese legend, Shennong, the legendary Emperor of China, inventor of agriculture and Chinese medicine, was drinking a bowl of boiling water, some time around 2737 BC. The wind blew and a few leaves from a nearby tree fell into his water and began to change its color. The ever inquisitive and curious monarch took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its flavor and its restorative properties. A variant of the legend tells that the emperor tested the medical properties of various herbs on himself, some of them poisonous, and found tea to work as an antidote. Shennong is also mentioned in Lu Yu's famous early work on the subject, Cha Jing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea#Creation_myths

Tujia chinese minority girl singing yangtze three gorges 3 shennong stream lesser gorges

Shennong Moutain

In Chinese mythology, Chi You (蚩尤) is a war deity who fought the Yellow Emperor. For Hmongs, Chi You is a sagacious mythical king. Chi You meaning "txiv yawg" in Hmong or grandfather. Chi You is also the god of rain, and a descendant of Shennong, the inventor of agriculture. His appearance is half giant, half bull, with the front of his head covered with (or made of) iron Mythology Along with Yan Di and Huang Di, Chi You is a deity in Hmong mythology, Chi You was the mythical leader of the Hmong, king of Jiuli, and once a follower of Yan Di. When Huang Di subdued Yan Di, Chi You was weary of the suppression and conspired with Yan Liang, another deity. Soon, Huang Di and Chi You clashed in the Battle of Zhuolu. According to Chinese legends, Chi You and his people rebelled against Huang Di at Zhuolu plains. Both sides used magical powers, but Chi You had the advantage because his troops were armed with forged swords and halberds. Using his power (perhaps a mythological explanation of meteorology used in warfare), Chi You covered the battle field in thick fog. Only with the help of a magical compass chariot (South Pointing Chariot) could Huang Di's troops could find their way through the mist. He also used his daughter Nü Ba, the Goddess of Drought, to harm Chi You's troops. Later on, Chi You suffered more defeats and was captured. Only Ying Long, the winged dragon, being a brave servant of Huang Di, dared to slay him. Chi You's chains were transformed into acorn trees, while Ying Long was cursed to remain on earth forever. According to Chinese legend, the people under Chiyou (蚩尤 Chīyoú) were defeated at Zhuolu (涿鹿 Zhuōlù, a defunct prefecture on the border of today provinces of Hebei and Liaoning) by the military unification of Huang Di (黃帝 Huángdì) and Yandi炎帝, leaders of the Huaxia (華夏 Huáxià) tribe as they struggled for supremacy of the Huang He valley. The compass was believed to be the crucial reason of Huaxia's victory. The battle, believed to be taken place in the 26th century B.C, was fought under heavy fog as Huaxia was able to match against Miao with the compass. After the loss, the original tribe split into two smaller splinter tribes, the Miao (Hmong) and the Li (黎 lí). Miao continuously moving southwest and Li southeast as the Huaxia race, now known as Han Chinese race, expanding southwards. Some fragments of the races were assimilated into the Chinese during Zhou Dynasty. Yet, in other versions, the people of Jiuli fragmented in 3 different directions. It is said Chiyou had 3 sons, and after the fall of Jiuli, his oldest son led some people south, his middle son led some people north, and his youngest son remained in Zhuolu and assimilated into the Huaxia culture. Those who were led to the south established the San-Miao nation. Perhaps due to this splitting into multiple groups, many Far Eastern people regard Chiyou as their ancestors, and by the same token, many question the ethnicity of Chiyou as exclusively Hmong or otherwise. In some circles of thought,Chiyou is also regarded as one of China's forefathers alongside the ethnic Han ancestors, Huangdi and Yandi. Other mythology states that Chi You had 81 brothers, and was a grotesque looking creature: he had six arms, four eyes, the head and hooves resembled an ox and his head was made of metal (copper and iron, mentioned 銅頭鐵額). He only ate stones and pebbles; therefore his teeth were almost unbreakable. One of his achievements was the first use of metal weapons in warfare. He is said to have forged the first swords from bronze or copper. He was violent and no one could defeat him. Historical records Across the Eastern Asia, many people had worshipped Chi You as the war guardian deity. According to Chinese history record Records of the Grand Historian, Liu Bang worshipped at Chi You's shrine before the last battle against Xiang Yu and won.