‘Puppy Mountain’ Becomes Tourist Attraction Along China’s Yangtze River

A mountain in central China’s Hubei province has recently captured the attention of tourists and social media users for its unique shape, which many say resembles a dog’s head. Located near the Yangtze River in the city of Yichang, the formation—now nicknamed “Puppy Mountain”—has become a viral sensation.

​Although the mountain has existed for years, it gained widespread attention after Shanghai designer Guo Qingshan shared a photo of it on Valentine’s Day. In his post, he pointed out how the mountain looked like a puppy resting by the river, with its snout touching the water. His image quickly went viral on Chinese social media platform Weibo, racking up 120,000 likes in just 10 days. The hashtag #xiaogoushan (Chinese for “Puppy Mountain”) also drew millions of views.

Guo described the formation as both adorable and almost magical, saying it seemed as if the dog was either drinking from the river or watching fish, perhaps even guarding the waterway.

The mountain can be viewed from a special observation deck in Zigui County. Inspired by Guo’s photo, tourists have been flocking to the spot, many bringing their pet dogs to pose for pictures with the mountain in the background. Some have even commented on the resemblance between their pets and the mountain’s features.

Several people also shared old photos from the same location, admitting they had never noticed the dog-like shape before. A few suggested the formation may have subtly changed over time.

One user on RedNote wrote, “Puppy Mountain, here I am! Pet the puppy’s head and all will be well,” adding a message about appreciating hidden beauty in the world.

​Yang Yang, a frequent visitor, often makes the 90-minute drive to the mountain with her two-year-old poodle, Yang Keyi. “I was thrilled to see it,” she said. “Traveling with my dog makes it even more special—it’s like they belong together.”

Another visitor, Shi Tong, realized after seeing the viral image that he had already visited the site back in 2021 and recalled thinking it looked like a dog even then.