Shennongjia Nature Reserve in the western part of Hubei Province lies between Daba and Wudang Mountains.  With heavily forested mountains of fir, pine and hemlock -including something rare in China, old-growth stands -the area is known as a treasure trove 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, 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..

The Shennong Crest that has been known to be the first peak of Central China, locates in the middle part of the Reserve with the elevation of 3,105 m. There are within the Reserve 31 peaks having their altitude of more than 2,500 m above the sea level. The lowest elevation is 480 m with the relative difference of height at more than 2,500 m. Lying between the transitional region of the northern subtropical and warm temperate zone and locating at the middle reaches of the Yangtse River, the Shennongjia Nature Reserve has concurrently impacted by the southeastern oceanic monsoon and the cold wave from Siberia. The climate there is therefore characterized by four types of subtropical, warm temperate, temperate and cold temperate zones. The formation and development of soils have both the features of the coniferous forest of western crossed mountain range and the mixed coniferous and deciduous forests of Qinling-Bashan upland, and it represents many typical properties of the subtropical soil. Variable conditions of topography, soil and climate have resulted in an age-old character of flora, and variety of the vegetable composition and the resources. The Reserve is a meeting area of the fauna and flora of the Central China, the North China and the Southwestern and northwestern China, having almost all the species of the subtropical, temperate and cold temperate zones. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, a lot of State scientific research organizations have also carried out for many times the multi-disciplinary survey in this area. After the establishment of the Reserve, the priority for research work has been given attached to the aspects of the wild ecological habits and the changes of the population of the Rhinopithecua roxellanae.

The establishment of the Reserve was approved by the Government of Hubei Province in March of 1982 and ratified by the State Council ranking as the National Nature Reserve in July of 1986. The Shennongjia Nature Reserve is a typical zonation of plant species of subtropical, temperate and cold temperate zones in the central part of China. The Reserve is obviously a converging area for the fauna and flora of the southwest and northwest China, the Central China, South China and North China, of which many of them have been ranked as the rare species with important scientific research value. The Reserve provides an ideal base for the directional research to the forest ecological system. Especially, since the discovery of the whitenized species of some large wildlife in this area, the scientific circles both the domestic and overseas are paying great attention to explore and explain the natural phenomena. The Shennongjia Nature Reserve has an attractive landscape with a lofty mountains and boundless forests. The magical nature offers you with a magnificent scenery of hot summer at the hill foot and spring on the ridge while the clear autumn comes to the hillsides, the hilltops are coated with snow. All the seasons are present before you, people could hardly distinguish the spring, summer, autumn and winter :in the same period. The Shennongjia Nature Reserve being protected as the natural heritage is of significant and fully deserve. With the improvement of the management work, it would no doubt make more contribution to the natural protection activities of China and the world as well.