神农架
First, I will make a brief introduction about shennongjia. The Shennongjia district lies in the remote area at the northwestern of Hubei province. It has the wildest scenery in the province. The administrative area of Shengnongjia forest area is established in 1970.It covers 3253 square kilometres. The coverage rate of forest reaches to 67%. There are some Ethnic minorities including Han, Tujia and Hui in Shengnongjia. In addition, Shennongjia has a very magnificent nickname————central ridge. This is because the highest peak of Shennongjia---Shen Nong Ding has 3105.4 meters high, and it is the highest peak in central China.
首先，我将简单的介绍一下神农架。神农架在湖北偏远的西北方，在省内有着广阔的风景。神农架于1970年建立行政区划，面积约为3253平方公里，其中森林覆盖率达67%。区内居住有汉、土家、回等民族。另外，神农架还有一个十分气派的称号--华中屋脊，这是因为神农架的最高峰---神农顶海拔高达3105.4米。
Shengnongjia is a name of a mountain at first, then it became a name of a mountain range, nowadays, it is a name of an administrative area of Shengnongjia forest area. As a part of a modern legend, Shennongjia is also famous for the sightings（目击） of Wild People, ape-like（象缘） creatures - a Chinese equivalent of the Himalayan Yeti（喜马拉雅雪人） or the North American Bigfoot（大脚怪）.
Shennongjia has quite a long history， as early as the paleolithic age（旧石器时代）, the hominids（原始人类） had began to take activities here. It was said that
Emperor Yan-Shennong once framed a wooden ladder to reach some precipices to taste hundreds of herbs and taught people farming. So this area was named after him.
神农架最初只是指一座山峰，即今天的大小神农架，到现在则指整个神农架林区。作为现代传说的一部分，神农架是著名的目击野生类人猿——相当于喜马拉雅雪人或北美大脚野人的地方。神农架历史悠久，从旧石器时代就开始有原始人类在此活动，相传炎帝神农氏曾在此搭架采药，教人们耕种，因此这里被叫做神农架。
We all know that shennongjia is a primeval forest, of which there is a wide variety of birds, animals, insects and fish. A lot of endangered（濒危） creatures that can’t be seen in other places can be seen in Shennongjia. Do you know why? Because of the geographical location and the superiority（优势） of the natural environment, it was regarded as a biosphere refuge area（生物圈保护区面积） in the third glacial period（冰河时期）. Up to now, the special features of the primitive forest are still good preserved. There are some especially rare animals such as golden monkeys（金丝猴）, leopard（豹子） and South-China tiger surviving here.
Therefore, in 1990, it was accepted as a member in the man and biosphere plan（人与生物圈计划） by UNESCO(United Nations Educational，Scientific，and Cultural Organization). Shennongjia is also a big library of natural medicinal herbs. It has more than two thousand kinds of Chinese herbal medicine（中药） including musk（麝香）, dendrobe（石斛,金钗）， bear bile（熊胆） and other rare herbs. Now with its rich natural resources and tourism resources，the Shengnongjia is not only a tourist resort for sightseeing and vacation, but also a good place to develop
some popular and special tourist activities such as the forest bath tour（森林浴行）and bicycle riding, rock climbing（攀岩）, drifting（漂流）and fishing （淡水垂钓）and so on.
我们都知道神农架是一片原始森林，其中有种类繁多的鸟兽虫鱼，很多濒临灭绝，在别的地方见不到的物种，在神农架却可以看到，这是为什么呢？原来神农凭借其地理位置及自然环境的优越性，早在第3纪冰川时期充当了生物界的避难所，至今还较好保存着原始森林的特有风貌，其中有金丝猴，金钱豹，华南虎等极为珍稀的动物。因此神农架在1990年，被联合国教科文组织人与生物圈计划接纳为成员。神农架也是一座规模很大的天然药材库，有中草药2000多种，包括，麝香、熊胆、金钗等名贵药材，和头顶一颗珠，文王一支笔，江边一碗水等珍稀草药。现在神农架凭借其丰富的自然资源和旅游资源，在作为观光度假旅游区的基础上，还开展了森林沐浴行和自行车、攀岩、漂流、淡水垂钓等颇受旅游者喜爱的旅游活动。
As a forest treasure, the Shengnongjia has a large area of primitive forest and it is the wildest scenery in Hubei province. With dense fir（水杉）, pine and hemlock （铁杉）,and some other rare and ancient tree species（树种），the area is known as a treasure trove（宝库） of more than 1300 species of medicinal plants. Indeed, the name for the area roughly translates as Shennong’s Ladder’ to commemorate a legendary emperor, Shennong, believed to be the founder of herbal medicine and agriculture. According to the legend, he heard about some special plants growing up high on a precipice（绝壁；悬崖）, so he cut down a great tree and used it to climb to the site and reach the plants, which he added to his medical collection.
有着茂密的水杉、松树、铁杉，其中还包括着中国一些稀有的植物和古老树种，这个
地区被认为是贵重物品的发掘地，有着1300多种草药。更确切的说，这个地区粗糙的被翻译为神农梯是为了纪念传说中的皇帝，神农。他被相信为草药和农业的创始者。根据传说，他听说一些特殊的植物长在很高的悬崖上，所以他砍下一颗很大的树，用它去采摘植物，增加他的药材收集。
Today, we will visit the Shengnongding and Shennongtan--the main scenic spots of Shennongjia. Well, dear friends, now our bus has entered the Shengnong altar scenic area. Please get ready, we will get off the bus and visit it on foot. Now we are in Shennong altar scenic spot, which is located at the southern tourist area of Shennongjia. So it’s also called the South Gate of Shennongjia. Although the area is small, only 0.7 square kilometers but the entire scenic area is distinct and it’s natural scenery is very beautiful.
The Altar is the core part of this tourist area. It is used to show our respect to our ancestor and sacrifice to the God. In the Shennong Altar, there is a statue of Shennong, it is 21 meters high. It takes the earth as its body and stands in the numerous mountains. It was built according to the ancient legends, it looks like a person who has a head of cow. Every descendants of the yellow emperor and emperor Yan can sacrifice their ancestor here.
Leaving from Shennongtan, we are going to the highest spot of Shennongjia---Shennong Peak. Shennong Peak is located on the west of Shennongjia.The summit of Shennong Peak covers an area of about 2 square kilometers, rising to a height of 3105.4 meters above sea level. Clouds and mist curl up（卷起） the summit where ridges stretch on into the distance. The area is
covered by tiers（层） of fir, bamboo and azalea（杜鹃花）. The firs, as tall as 40 meters, have dense leaves on branches that block off the sunlight. The azaleas blossom pink and violet in summer. The area is also home to some rare animals including the golden monkey, white bear and antelope（羚羊）.
离开了神农坛，我们现在就要去神农架的至高点神农顶，在神农架景区的西部，神农峰占地面积约2平方公里，海拔高达3105.4米。这里云雾缭绕。这个地区覆盖着水杉，竹和杜鹃花。水杉，高40米，有稠密的叶子，挡住了阳光。在夏天这里盛开的、着粉红色和紫色的杜鹃花。该区也是一些稀有动物包括金丝猴、熊、羚羊的家园。
Go throught the Shennongding, we are arriving the Banbiyan. It is famous for its stone forest and for sightings of the so-called wild man. The bamboo that covers the mountain and plain makes a great hiding place for anyone wanting to search for the footprint of bigfoot. At nearly 2,600 meters away from here, the local residents of Banbiyan frequently play a colorful program of songs and dances on the grass meadows to show their respects to the guest coming from afar. Custom dictates that visitors are welcomed by songs. The spectacle（奇观） is a once-in-a-lifetime memorable experience for many people.
经过神农顶，我们来到了板壁岩。板壁岩因为石林和所谓的野人而著名。漫山遍野的竹林，可以给人们一个很好地藏身之地来搜寻野人的足迹。在近2600米的地方，当地居民经常在绿色的草地上举办丰富多彩的歌舞节目。习俗规定要用歌声来欢迎游客。这个场面对于很多人来说是一个终身难忘的经历。
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe Shennongjia’s gorgeous sceneries have
given you a deep impression. I dare to say you’ll never forget them forever. And tonight，there will be a needfire party （篝火晚会）at the Shennong altar. The folk entertainment and game barbecue and folkway and folk customs presented during the party will give you an deeper impression. You can have some amusement in the party if you like. Hope you have a good time.
