With towering peaks, vast forests, and endless valleys, Shennongjia witnesses over a billion years of Earth’s evolution, forming a rare gene bank of species in the low-latitude region. Few dare to unravel its secrets, one unassuming young man left his hometown Xiushui in Jiangxi, hiking to the "Roof of Central China" to study its wildlife—and write his own conservation story. He is Yu Huiliang, a “Shennong Talent” who rose through the ranks of the Science Research Institute of Shennongjia National Park.
In early November 2024, our group arrived at Dajiuhu Wetland in Shennongjia to photograph the autumn scenery. The weather was perfect—blue skies, white clouds, with the Shennong Valley, Yinyu River, Tianji Ridge, and Wangyue Flat all enveloped in mist, creating a stunning and majestic view. Our journey took us from the valley to the mountain peak, weaving through autumn maples and red birch trees, then crossing fields of snow and ice-covered branches. As we descended back into the valley, we passed through high-altitude grasslands tinged with yellow and then glided over an expanse of primeval forest, finally reaching Pingqian, an ancient town in the northwest of Shennongjia.
"It doesn't hurt. It's not venomous," says a foreigner with a bleeding arm, calmly reassuring his companions as he holds a long snake in the remote mountains of Shennongjia.
There are so many coincidences in the world that are difficult to explain in words. We simply couldn't imagine that we were here to interview Huang Tianpeng again to renew his legendary life.
On the last day of mid-June, after the rain cleared up, Shennongjia was enveloped in floating mist, with peaks appearing and disappearing intermittently. A few rays of sunlight sporadically pierced through the clouds, illuminating a couple of ideal roadside habitats. There, several vigorous girls, armed with insect nets, gazed intently at the small insects fluttering in the air, occasionally swinging their nets and then carefully examining the bottom for catches...