PUPPY LOVE

Tourists Flock to ‘Puppy Mountain’ After Uncanny Resemblance Goes Viral

The rock formation at the Xiling Gorge on the Yangtze River has made waves on Chinese social media.

Tourists began to flock to a mountainside in China after a social media user pointed out that it looks like a dog’s head. The viral post, on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, created a new pilgrimage site for dog-lovers and people started to visit the Xiling Gorge, in Yichang, Hubei province, en masse. Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan had visited in January and shared the photo weeks later after he realized the dog-like features of the cliff formation, which extends into the sea. “It was so magical and cute. I was so excited and happy when I discovered it,” Guo said. “The puppy’s posture is like it’s drinking water, or it’s looking at some fish. It also looks like it’s quietly protecting the Yangtze River.” Within days, the post had received over 120,000 likes and people began visiting the gorge. “I was really happy to see the mountain,” one dog owner, who drove for an hour to be there, said. “I always travel with my dog if possible, so Puppy Mountain and my own little dog really match.” Guo’s snap also prompted a new hashtag, #xiaogoushan—Chinese for “Puppy Mountain”—on Weibo.