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Mountains are rarely described as being “cute” however one popular attraction in China is not not only a viral sensation because it's a sight in itself, but it also resembles an animal.
Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a picture of the mountain on Valentine’s Day and it quickly made the rounds on social media.
Look at this adorable mountainGuo Qingshan via AP
Qingshan captioned his snap “Puppy Mountain” and it’s clear to see why it's the paw-fect way to describe it. The photographer went on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in Central China’s Hubei province late in January.
When scrolling through his pictures, he noticed something he hadn’t seen before - a mountain shaped like a dog’s head resting on the ground overlooking the Yangtze River. The pup’s snout looks like it’s perched at the edge of the water.
“It was so magical and cute,” Qingshan told AP. “I was so excited and happy when I discovered it.
“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.”
The "Puppy Mountain" is in Yichang, a city in central China's Hubei ProvinceGuo Qingshan via AP
He posted the image on the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, otherwise known as RedNote, and received 120,000 likes within 10 days. On the media platform Weibo, the hashtag #xiaogoushan - which is Chinese for “Puppy Mountain” - garnered millions of views.
People are now travelling to see the mountain, where it can be observed from the observation deck near the Yangtze River, the longest river in China. Tourists who had taken pictures of the mountain themselves are also sharing the images they took from the same deck in previous years, with some claiming that the dog’s appearance had changed over time.
Why can people see an animal's face in the mountain?
The tendency to see faces in objects is called pareidolia. It’s a common psychological phenomenon that happens when the brain tries to make sense of random stimuli. Some common examples are seeing Jesus in grilled cheese or faces in toast.
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