When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan shared a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day, captioned “Puppy Mountain,” it quickly became a sensation in China, even leading to the creation of a new tourist destination.
Guo was hiking in his hometown of Yichang, located in Hubei province, in late January. While reviewing his photos, he noticed a mountain shaped like a dog’s head near the Yangtze River, with the dog’s snout positioned by the water. Guo described it as a magical and cute discovery, with the mountain appearing to resemble a dog drinking water or quietly watching over the river.
His post on the social media platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote) garnered 120,000 likes in just 10 days, while the hashtag #xiaogoushan (meaning “Puppy Mountain”) on Weibo attracted millions of views. The discovery inspired dog owners to share pictures of their pets, comparing them to the mountain, and many people even traveled to Yichang to see it for themselves. Some visitors even brought their dogs along for photoshoots.
Yang Yang, a resident about an hour and a half away from the location, drove there with her friends and her 2-year-old grey poodle, Yang Keyi. “I was really happy to see the mountain,” she said. “I always travel with my dog if possible, so Puppy Mountain and my own little dog really match.”
The mountain is located in Zigui County, Yichang, and can be seen from an observation deck. The Yangtze River flows through the area. After Guo’s post went viral, many others shared their own photos taken from the same spot, with some expressing surprise at the dog-shaped view.
Shi Tong, a local resident, mentioned that he had visited the site before. Upon seeing the viral photo, he recalled thinking it looked like a dog when he visited in 2021 and shared a photo from that trip.