There's a saying about Heizhu Valley, "anyone who have gone into the Heizhu Valley never come back, no matter they are hunters or heroes."

Its core area, Rosoida Canyon, means "Valley of Death" in Yi language. Shimenguan is one of the three most dangerous places in the valley. A folk song says, "the foggy Shimenguan, with dark river and deep pools. Not only monkeys have difficulty in climbing, but also heroes are blocked here."

The Heizhu Valley lies at the transition area between Sichuan Basin and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, on the east side of the Hengduan Mountain Range, with the mountains and rivers stretching north-south longitudinally. Due to the difference of terrain height, the unique landscape of "a mountain with four seasons, different weathers in ten miles; snow covering the top of the mountain, and various flowers flourishing at the foot of the mountains" has been been formed here. The dense vegetation, changing weather and frequent fog and miasma make the valley more mysterious.