Shennongjia isn't just gorgeous, it's China's most popular destination for Bigfoot believers

View from the high peaks of Shennongjia Nature Reserve. More than 400 people claim to have seen a Bigfoot-like creature called "yeren" in the forest below.

"More than 400 people have claimed to have seen the Bigfoot-like creature in the past century" Xinhua News Agency

This is not the first instance of a Bigfoot-like creature to be used to lure tourists to a destination, Bigfoot is the "go-to" magnet for international tourism.  You can read about other Bigfoot tourism destinations, such as,  India, skiing in Russia, oh yeah, and even China's Taibai Mountains.

The Yeren, literally translated as "wild man". AKA The Chinese Bigfoot

 As the alleged home of the legendary Bigfoot-like ape-man known as "yeren," Shennongjia (神农架) has been the go-to place for adventurous Chinese travelers for decades.

But its mystery and solitude might soon fall victim to the colorful flags of tour guides.

The west Hubei attraction is the latest addition to China’s list of 5A-class scenic spots (国家级5A旅游区). Shennongjia was presented the title last week in Beijing by the National Tourism Administration, reported Xinhua News Agency. 

The 5A-class is China's top classification for scenic spots. Attractions in this category are said to represent the nation’s best tourist spots for receiving excellent ratings in eight categories, ranging from transportation and tourist services to hygiene conditions.

As of September 2011, there were 119 5A-class scenic spots throughout China, including Hangzhou's West Lake, Huangshan and Badaling Great Wall.

Yeren and golden monkeys

Located in northwest Hubei Province, 570 kilometers from provincial capital Wuhan (武汉), Shennongjia is best known to Chinese as the rumored home of the legenedary "yeren," or literally “wild man.”

More than 400 people have claimed to have seen the Bigfoot-like creature in the past century, according to Xinhua, yet no hard evidence has been found to prove yeren’s existence.

Rather then spying a yeren in the forest, Shennongjia travelers will more likely find themselves being peeped at by snub-nosed or golden monkeys (金丝猴), a rare and protected animal in China.

The 3,200-square-kilometer nature reserve is also reported to be “the only well-preserved sub-tropical forest ecosystem in the world's mid-latitudes,” with more than 5,000 species of animals and plants.

Getting there

Wuhan is the nearest major city and traffic hub to Shennongjia.

From Wuhan's long-distance bus station at Xinhua Lu, take the daily coach to Xingshan County (兴山县). The bus departs at 8 p.m. and arrives at Xingshan at 6 a.m. the following day. Ticket costs RMB 90 per person. Then transfer to a mini-bus from Xingshan to Shennongjia. Mini-buses leave every 30 minutes and costs RMB 10.

Or, take a train from Wuhan to Shiyan (十堰) at 10 p.m. The train arrives at Shiyan around 6 a.m. the following day. Buses for Shennongjia depart at 7:30 p.m. from Shiyan. The bus journey takes about five hours.

The China Scientific Expedition Association investigated the scene in Shennongjia where a sighting of wild men was reported in 2003. Chinese media reported that the association collected evidence, including hair and footprints.

Shennongjia is also famous for its wild snub-nosed or golden monkeys (金丝猴), a rare and protected animal in China.

Oregon Sasquatch Symposium is a Go! Speakers include Bob Gimlin and Bill Munns!

The 2012 Oregon Sasquatch Symposium will be in Portland, Oregon.

Toby Johnson, the big kahuna at OSS, has announced two big names that will be presenting at this years OSS. Click this link to read about the previous Oregon Sasquatch Symposiums.

Bob Gimlin and Bill Munns will actually present in tandem, the topic, believe it or not will be Bluff Creek. This will be the first time both have collaborated together to prepare a presentation. Bill Munns plans on presenting some compelling research he has done with 3d graphics, including details such as exact camera angles.

Bob Gimlin of the Patterson/Gimlin fame.

Bob Gimlin was with Roger Patterson when Patterson filmed the well known Patterson/Gimlin footage in Bluff Creek CA, in 1967. The film shows a large, hairy, female primate walking upright on two feet, and is unquestionably the best known footage of a Sasquatch ever obtained. It's interesting to note that although many dispute the film's authenticity, it has never been proven to be a fake in the years since it was filmed. 

Bill Munns with his recreation of Gigantopithecus 

Bill Munns was first connected to the Bigfoot discussion by virtue of his well publicized full scale reconstructed figure of Gigantopithecus (with him standing beside it), originally published in the book "Other Origins", and subsequently digitized and freely copied into Bigfoot websites and Forums whenever the discussion turned to Gigantopithecus and its potential relationship to the Sasquatch. Bill has worked as a special effects/prosthetics makeup artist since 1969, starting at Universal Studios, under Mike Westmore. During his career, he has made numerous full body suits, fur costumes, masks, and animatronics for various movies, TV shows, and commercials. Based on that experience, in 2008, he began a series of postings online re: "Creature Suit Analysis", with both general information about making creature type suits or costumes for films, and specific references to the ongoing controversy of the Patterson-Gimlin Film, and the debate as to whether what is seen in the film is a real creature or a hoaxed event with a person in a fur suit.

The date is not set in stone, but it is slated for mid to late October. Stay tuned at http://oregonsasquatchsymposium.webs.com/ for future details.

Romney To Gingrich: Your SuperPAC’s Ad Against Me ‘The Biggest Hoax Since Bigfoot’

Mitt Compares Newt's Super Pac Attacks to Bigfoot Hoax

Romney just lost the Bigfoot vote! Which is funny we have post that some Mormons believe in Bigfoot. Yes it's true, during last night's Republican debate, Mitt Romney said to Newt Gingrich, "you have a SuperPAC that attacks me, with probably the biggest hoax since Bigfoot.”

After two action-packed hours where the candidates went at each other with the proverbial kitchen sink on most issues, the elephant in the room between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich finally reared its head: the impact of SuperPAC ads on both of their elections. Gingrich responded to a question from Wall Street Journal‘s Gerald Seib about an attack from SuperPACs by taking a shot at Romney, who responded by clearly indicating that the SuperPAC supporting Gingrich was just as bad, and he would rather SuperPACs just “disappear.”

Gingrich responded to a question about attacks from a Romney-sympathetic SuperPAC by describing it as “typical of what both Sen. Santorum and I have complained about,” and snidely noted that it was a PAC Romney “apparently has no influence over, which makes you wonder what influence he would have if he were President.” Romney got a chance to respond, noting that he had “already said in our last debate that anything that is false in PAC ads, whether supportive of me or not, should be removed.” He continued to explain that he “can’t call these people and direct them to do that because it would violate federal law,” so Gingrich’s demand was illegal.

On the same note, Romney turned the attack around on Gingrich, saying “you have a SuperPAC that attacks me, with probably the biggest hoax since Bigfoot.” Gingrich replied that he himself had called for the SuperPAC to edit the ad, and that “the head of that group has actually submitted to your campaign a set of questions to make sure that it edited.”

Romney added on a conciliatory note that “it would be nice for SuperPAC ads to disappear,” and then called McCain/Feingold (the partially repealed Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act– a cornerstone of the legacy of Romney supporter Sen. John McCain in the Senate) “a disaster.”

The segment via Fox News below: The Bigfoot Remark starts at the 2:18 mark.