Songxiangping

　　    Originally named Shixiangping, it is now known as Songbai Town, backed by Songlang Mountain and fronted by Qingyang River. Legend has it that Emperor Yan, Shennong, once subdued a fiercely fighting lion and elephant here and turned them into two opposing mountain peaks. Later, due to the abundance of ancient pines in the area, which exuded a fragrant aroma, it came to be called Songxiangping (Fragrant Pine Flat).     During the mid-Tang Dynasty, this area was under the jurisdiction of Prince Li Xian of Lizhou. The ancient town and temples were first built here. The Temple’s Jade Emperor Pavilion was even used by Li Xian as a temporary palace during his hunting trips into the deep mountains; only ruins remain today. The ancient town was destroyed by mountain floods in the early Qing Dynasty, and as late as the 1970s, this place was still a remote and desolate village. After the establishment of the Shennongjia Forest District in 1970, the town began to be built. The local houses are mostly made of stone blocks, sturdy and uniquely beautiful, hence earning the nickname “Stone City.”

　　 Shennongjia, Hubei