Due to the unique geographical environment in certain regions of our country, humans are unable to survive here, making it a forbidden zone for life, let alone travel. The four forbidden areas in China are: the "Death Valley" at the border between Xinjiang and Qinghai, the "Hoh Xil No Man's Land" on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, the world's second largest mobile desert in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, and the "Shentang Bay" on Tianzi Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan.

Why did this place in Hunan become a restricted area despite the harsh weather and natural conditions in the first three places? In theory, Zhangjiajie is a fairyland with layered peaks and lush vegetation, so popular among tourists for its misty clouds and rosy glow. How could there be a piece of land that has been untouched for thousands of years? Today, let's talk about this mysterious' Shentang Bay '.

Shentang Bay is located in Tianzi Mountain, Wulingyuan National Scenic Spot Scenic Area, Zhangjiajie, with three cliffs and a gap on one side. At first glance, you may not be familiar with the name 'Shentang Bay', but when it comes to the movie 'Avatar', you must know it. Yes, the movie was set here. Even if they go now, tourists can only stand on the mountaintop and look down, like a huge sinkhole, bottomless.

Many national medical examination teams and exploration enthusiasts have tried to go in and explore, but none have been successful. Previously, CCTV also organized a rescue team from Zhangjiajie, Hunan to explore, but it took several days and they were unable to reach its bottom.

There is a local saying that goes, 'It's better to pass through the gates of hell than to go down to Shentang Bay.' It is said by the older generation that there are giant pythons and beasts below Shentang Bay. Snakes are as thick as buckets of water and often make the ghostly sounds of golden drums and horses that only appear on the battlefield. These legends also make Shentang Bay appear even more eerie.

According to legend, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was a great chaos in the world, and the local Tujia ethnic leader rose up to establish his own political power under the leadership of Dakun. In the 18th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, Xiang Dakun felt that the situation was hopeless. After shouting three times at Shentang Bay, he led a hundred soldiers and gold, silver, and jewelry to leap down together. After the heroic sacrifice of Xiang Dakun and his group, their spirits never dissipated. They camped in the bay, always ready for revenge. Years later, when the local people passed by, they could hear the sound of various weapons colliding from under the cliff. Every rainy day with lightning and thunder, the sound of people calling and horses neighing kept coming.

After the legendary treasure of King Xiang spread, people who were not afraid of the dangers of Shentang Bay continued to hunt for rare treasures at the bottom of the valley. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, two hunters accompanied each other and were frightened by the eerie and terrifying scenery on the mountainside. Trees and vines intertwined, giant snakes entwined, and the two of them dropped their bows and arrows, fleeing in a desperate attempt; In the mid-1950s, some hunters also broke into the valley floor. While resting on an ancient vine covered in moss, the tree trunk slowly moved and turned out to be a bucket thick python. The hunter was frightened and died three days after returning home.

However, the above are all legends without photographic or textual evidence, making it impossible to investigate. Until the late 1960s, a certain unit of the People's Liberation Army couldn't go any further down the third step of Shentang Bay in order to collect precious Chinese medicines such as Ganoderma lucidum. Looking down, I couldn't see the bottom and only heard a loud roar, which was very frightening, so I turned back.

CCTV explores Shentang Bay

In the following 91 to 94 years, exploration teams organized by multiple countries including the United States, Japan, and Singapore went down to the valley with sophisticated equipment. However, halfway through, they discovered that electronic equipment had malfunctioned and saw a giant stone clam larger than a camel guarding the cave. Later, they came up as quickly as possible. Some expedition members expressed that the area below the bay is too terrifying and gives a feeling of oppression.

The most recent and largest one was in 2012, when a scientific expedition team organized by CCTV set off again towards Shentang Bay in Zhangjiajie. It took the expedition team more than 9 hours to descend to a depth of over 600 meters, but looking down, the depth was still bottomless. At that time, it was already late and for safety reasons, I had to give up and return.

CCTV explores Shentang Bay

But this time I finally gained something. Based on the recorded scenery and environmental information in the valley, experts have inferred that Zhangjiajie Shentang Bay is a bucket shaped structure with a small upper part, a large middle part, and a small lower part. The strange sound that has been heard for a hundred years actually originates from this unique geological structure. During thunderstorms, the sound of wind, water, and rain mixed together in the canyon, constantly colliding and echoing, producing the so-called sound of people and horses fighting, which is a normal natural phenomenon.

However, some people still express doubts: since it is a common natural phenomenon, why did so many professional scientific exploration teams in earlier years fail to reach the bottom and explore it? How to explain equipment failure?

Up to now, experts have only made inferences about the mystery of Shentang Bay, and the true situation of the valley bottom still needs to be further uncovered. If you are interested, when you visit Zhangjiajie, Hunan, why not listen to the locals tell you the mysterious stories about Shentang Bay.

Some images are sourced from the internet