Feature and Folk Custom of Shennong Stream

Shennong Stream, located on the border between Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge, it is another world, a rural and wonderful place to visit which is a tributary of the Yangtze River. Living there without any anxieties and worries of urban life, any pressure of earning money will be a luxurious dream or desire to many urban people. Shennong Stream is a virgin land with China's ancient and traditional folk custom, mysterious and charming local culture, picturesque scenery and purified smile, the open-minded and impassioned folk songs as well as the comfortable lifestyles in the countryside.

Feature of Shennong Stream

Shennong Stream is a newly opened to the outside world, and it has been considered as the highlight of Three Gorges tour. The steep mountains and the silvery water from the heaven will make you forget this earthly world. There are stones with varies of shapes and color you could see on the bottom of the stream. Along with the magnificence, grace and danger of the Yangtze River, Shennong Stream consists of three natural gorges – Longchang Gorge (famous for its rocky cliffs), Yingwu Gorge (famous for its stunning view) and Mianzhu Gorge (famous for its dangerous steep).

When you drift along the Shennong Stream by a sampan, called peapod because of its appearance by local people, you'll make an unforgettable memory during your life. The sampan is 14 yards long and two yards wide, which can hold ten visitors at a time. It was made of Flower Oak which could sail through shallow spots. The boat trackers who consist of local Tujia minority nationality people hold the sampan drift along the river with their folk songs and loudly laughing. There are usually steered by six local boatmen in one sampan. The first boat tracker in front of the sampan and the captain of the sampan at the stern sing local songs in union to get the boat on the band of the river at a dash. When entering the down-stream, sampan will be fast rowed like zigzag pattern by boat trackers, which should be your breathtaking experience for Shennong Stream tour.

To be a boat tracker, which is one way people along the Yangtze River made their living for centuries. Originally boat trackers worked all over the Yangtze River, but now they are primarily located on the Shennong Stream.

Anyway, during the drifting of Shennong Stream, you might enjoy not only the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river, but also learn more about local Chinese ancient culture.

Folk custom of Shennong Stream

Shennong Stream is where the Tujia minority nationality lives. Local custom is actually based on the Tujia minority nationality people. Sitting on the sampan for a drift, you may find some cottages separately surrounded by many trees on both sides of mountains. It means an unmarried beautiful girl in that family is waiting for her bridegroom. If you are lucky enough, you may join in the local wedding ceremony with great welcome, or bridegroom – selection performance. You will probably lucky to be selected by those performers as her bridegroom in the performance.

There is another famous folk custom called Crying Marriage Song which not only cried by the bride but also the bride's whole families. Crying expresses worries and best wishes of bride mother's. It is very popular by its rich contents and different kinds of expression, and lots of ways of singing.