Interesting facts on Bigfoot (Yeren) sighting in China
A sculpture depicting a male and female Yeren in Yeren Valley, Fang County of northwestern Hubei province
One of the earliest mentions of the Chinese Wild Man or Yeren (野人) was during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC). The famed poet Qu Yuan wrote about large and misshapen mountain ogres in the forests. Qu Yuan stayed near what is known today as the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve in China’s Hubei province, where many sightings of the Yeren were reported. The Shennongjia region is a rugged area with high mountains ranging up to 3,048 metres (10,000 feet) and deep valleys dense with heavy vegetation.
There was another historical record regarding Yeren in the area, in an entry from Fang County in Hubei during the 17th century. The record stated that hairy men as tall as 3 metres (9.8 feet) often came down from rock caves to hunt for dogs and chickens in the villages. This is similar to reports of the bigfoot in Pacific Northwest of the United States where they are reported to steal dogs, chickens and pigs from people’s properties. It seems whether, east or west, they prefer similar diets. The reports from both continents are similar.
Yerendong (野人洞, Yeren Cave) in Fang County of northwestern Hubei province. This cave was given such a name because it is believed that Fang County is the home of Yeren.
Numbers of recorded sightings vary, but the numbers are not small. Xinhua, the Chinese state-run media agency, estimated that the number of sightings totalled around 400 in the past several decades, while a New York Times article said that the number was around 300 for sightings from the 1920s to 1980s.
Gigantopithecus, an extinct genus of ape that existed from roughly one million years to as recently as three-hundred thousand years ago, in what is now China, India, and Vietnam. Click to enlarge
Eyewitness testimonies are aplenty. An old soldier said that a Wild Man was killed with a machine gun by a group of hunters led by Fang County’s magistrate in the 1940’s. They even cooked the beast in a pot, but no one had the appetite to consume it, as the taste was foul. An elderly woman, Liu Jikuan, told of her childhood experience seeing two bound Yeren led through her village by nationalist soldiers. Yan Mingde told of an incident in 1947 where eight wild men were chased into a house; however, these strong creatures managed to escape by ripping off part of the roof.
Another reported sighting happened in May 1976, when a group of six local Chinese government bureaucrats came across a “tailless with red fur” creature when driving past Chunshuy, a village between Fang County and Shennongjia. The creature was caught in the glare of their headlights and later on disappeared from sight.
In the same year, a commune party secretary reported seeing a Wild Man run off with a small pig under its arm. In 1977, a peasant woman reported that she saw a Wild Man eating bamboo shoots, along with corn stolen from the local village.
Additional sightings and incidents like the ones mentioned above led to a 1976 and 1977 expedition organised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They came equipped with tranquilliser dart guns, hunting dogs, tape recorders, and even rifles. Despite conducting wide searches and interviewing more than hundreds of people, no conclusive evidence was found. It is said that there was a close encounter, but a soldier accidentally shot himself in the leg, ending the capture mission prematurely.
Yeren’s footprint found in Shennongjia. It is 30 cm (11.8 inches) in length. The width at the heel is 8 cm (3.1 inches) and the width of the sole of the foot is 12 cm (4.7 inches).
Professor Zhou Guoxing led a team to collect evidence of Yeren in 1977. They collected hair samples, footprints, and recorded eyewitness accounts. Unfortunately, no specimen of Yeren was found although more sightings continue to be reported. In March 1978, hunters sitting by a campfire in Guizhou Province were joined by a Wild Man that emerged from the darkness. Terrified, the hunters pretended to ignore it. When the fire waned, the Wild Man was said to collect more wood and throw it on the fire. In September 1979, cow herder Zhou Yongfa reported that a Wild Man laughed when it gripped at his wrist.
A cast of Yeren’s footprint compared to a male adult human footprint cast. The footprint was found in Shennongjia. Click to enlarge
A more recent group interviewed witnesses in 2008. Among the witnesses, park ranger Yuan Yuhao had a clear pair of footprints casted that measured around 38 cm (14.9 inches) in length. It was found that the casts appeared similar to the North American ape foot, or Anthropoidipes ameriborealis. Yuhao was said to have observed a Yeren covered in reddish-brown hair from a 500 metres (1,640 feet) distance while the Yeren was sunning itself.
In another expedition, leader Meng Qingbao found around 1,000 footprints that stretched for about 1.6 kilometres (1 mile). The plaster cast of the clearest print was reported to be more than 45.7 cm (18 inches) long. Professor Zhou Guoxing, who had examined many alleged casts and prints through the years, said that many turned out to be those of bears or apes. However, one of the samples collected during the expedition in 1980 cannot be identified as belonging to any known creature. The expedition team also found a sleeping nest shaped like a deck chair that had been constructed by bending pieces of bamboo at an altitude of about 2,500 metres (8,202 feet).
Apes or men?
Concept art for the movie, “China Bigfoot: Legend of the Yeren”
With fossils found in China and Southeast Asia, many proponents believe that the Yeren could be the extinct hominid Gigantopithecus, a giant ape that formerly inhabited the region. The Gigantopithecus is estimated to be around 2.7 metres (9 feet) in height.
Huang Guangzhao, an assistant professor of forensic medicine at the Wuhan Medical Institute, has examined hair samples under a microscope and has concluded that they were different from those belonging to humans, apes, and gorillas. The texture of the hair was found to be different, as well.
A nest of Yeren found in Shennongjia.
Examination of feces samples found along Yeren’s tracks recorded that its feces are similar to humans’, but they are larger, containing shells of chestnuts, wild fruits, and hairs of small animals.
Mr. Li, the Deputy Director of the Historical Research Institute in the Hubei Provincial Academy of Sciences, stated his opinion that the Wild Man is “linked more closely to human beings” than to apes or monkeys, as apes cannot walk long distances, and Wild Men are definitively more intelligent than apes.
Below are two recent documentaries that we recommend you watch, in order to form your own conclusion about the Yeren. Kindly leave us a comment and share with us what you think about the Chinese Wild Man.
Is China’s ‘Bigfoot’ Real? – Finding the Yeren
Tales of the Shennongjia Yeren, or Wild Man, have spread widely in China over four decades, and its record can be found in ancient poetry books dating back thousands of years.
The ‘Bigfoot’ has been described as an ape-like creature, with facial features that resemble a human. This mysterious figure is covered from head to toe with long, brown hair and has been sighted more than 400 times over the last four decades in Shennongjia and the surrounding areas.
South China Morning Post interviewed witnesses, explorers, experts, and even opponents trying to unveil the mystery of the legendary monster.
Monster Quest Season 2, Episode 4: China’s Wild Man
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/ChinasWildman.mp4
Take a journey to the Far East, to the remote Chinese province of Hubei to discover what locals have dubbed the “Wild Man.” Witnesses have reported seeing a creature that is covered in reddish-brown hair, walks on two legs, and is anywhere from 1.5 to 2.1 metres (5 to 7 feet) tall. Chinese authorities have collected over 100 samples of unidentified hairs from the alleged monster and claim that it is just a matter of time before they capture the “Wild Man.” Join this international team of experts in their search for answers.
Statue of Yeren mother and son, at the entrance of Shennongjia World Geopark
Source:
- Wren C, ‘ON THE TRAIL OF THE ‘WILD MAN’ OF CHINA’ (Nytimes.com, 1984) https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/05/science/on-the-trail-of-the-wild-man-of-china.html, (accessed 19 January 2019).
- ‘Wildman, Chinese Version Of Bigfoot: Sightings, Scientific Tests, Theories’ (Ancient Origins, 2019) https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/wildman-chinese-version-bigfoot-sightings-scientific-tests-theories-003410, (accessed 19 January 2019).
- ‘起底神农架“野人之谜”③：专家称，检测结果证明有“野人”’ (Twoeggz.com, 2019) http://www.twoeggz.com/news/1944023.html, (accessed 19 January 2019).
For more interesting information:
- The Yeti/Bigfoot/Sasquatch category on my blog
- Five Must See Bigfoot Documentaries
- Finding Bigfoot
- The Man Who Created Bigfoot
- Dermal Ridges
- Bigfoot, cookies and Kechara | 野人、小甜饼和克切拉
- Bigfoot in Malaysia
- China’s Bigfoot
- Nepal is the land of spirituality, beauty and Mystery and the Yeti
- Monsters & Mysteries In Alaska..Sasquatch!
- I was in Willow Creek
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
There is an area near Lumbini, Nepal, they have sightings of Yeti for hundreds of years. So they have signages in the area with Yeti artwork to highlight this. Interesting. TR
(Part 1 of 8)
This museum in Pokhara, Nepal has a section dedicated to Yetis (Bigfoot). Very interesting. I am including some pictures of the inside of this wonderful museum. Do enjoy. ~ Tsem Rinpoche
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 2 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 3 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 4 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 5 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 6 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 7 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
(Part 8 of 8)
In the International Mountain Museum (IMM) in Pokhara, Nepal, there is a small but comprehensive exhibition on Yetis (Bigfoot). Below are some pictures.
For more information, go to https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/bigfoot-museum-nepal
(click on picture to enlarge)
Wow interesting another story of China’s version of Bigfoot which they referred as Yeren Chinese Wildman an apelike being said to live in the wilderness. Recently as reported sightings of these Yeren dense evergreen forest of Shennongjia which is a Unesco World Heritage Site in Hubei province, China. The researchers and enthusiasts have been fascinated with the legendary Yeren since the sightings . Its seem these Yeren leave behind mysterious giant footprints and strange stools. Tales of the Shennongjia Yeren, or Wild Man, have spread widely in China over four decades. The fascination with the yeren has been a boon for the area, transforming formerly remote rural villages into booming tourist towns. Researchers and enthusiasts have failed to backup any conclusive evidence of the creature’s existence so far. Yet there were numerous sightings of these Yeren in the past several decades. There were many eye witnesses and each have had a story to relate…..sound interesting.
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting sharing.