Chinese designer posts vacation photo, unknowingly making it go viral

(Patria) - When Chinese designer Guo Qingshan posted a photo from his vacation with the caption "a hill that looks like a puppy", he couldn't have imagined that this very spot would become a new viral tourist destination.



Qingshan was hiking during a visit to his hometown in Hubei Province, central China. When he later reviewed the photos he had taken, he noticed something he hadn't seen before - a rocky peak that looked like a puppy's head tilted towards the Yangtze River.

- It was so magical and charming. I was delighted and very happy when I discovered it. The puppy's position is as if it's drinking water or looking at fish. It even looks like it's quietly protecting the Yangtze River - says Qingshan.

So adorable! This peak along the Yangtze River in Yichang has gone viral for its unique shape, resembling a lying puppy. Tourists are flocking here to snap pictures.#Yichang #Nature #YangtzeRiver #TravelChina pic.twitter.com/qyT56C4WTv

— Gorgeous Yichang (@GorgeousYichang) February 19, 2025

He posted the photos on the social network RedNote, and followers showered them with likes. Those 120,000 likes in a few days quickly grew to two million views on the Weibo platform with the hashtag #xiaogoushan - "puppy mountain" in Chinese.

After his viral photo, many searched their old photos from the same location. Many dog owners started posting photos of their pets from the same destination, and others visited it to see it with their own eyes and capture the scene.



The Yangtze River, the longest in China and the third longest in the world, passes through a mountainous region in Zigui County, Yichang, where the mountain can be seen from a nearby viewpoint.