ShanHe
by Linsan1
Players who want large continents, river valleys and mountain ranges can generate them with ShanHe, a terrain generation mod for Fabric and Forge.
What it does
ShanHe adds a world type called shanhe generator.shanhe.shchunkgennoise that builds terrain in a large-scale process. Its terrain generation models tectonic uplift and fluvial erosion, which produces river networks, V-shaped valleys, mountain ranges, plains and streams with height differences. A continent spans about 4096 blocks, so a world is far larger than a standard one.
The mod runs on the client and the server, so the server and every player need it. Files are published for Fabric and Forge, with builds for 1.16.5 and 1.20.1, and the mod is still in an early developing stage. Creating a new world can take around four minutes, and the author reports that travel to distant coordinates can stall the game for several minutes. ShanHe is licensed as All rights reserved, so it is not open source.
Key features
Tectonic terrain
Large-scale terrain is shaped by simulated tectonic uplift and fluvial erosion rather than standard noise alone.
River networks and valleys
Rivers form networks with V-shaped valleys, and streams run across plains between mountain ranges.
Biome set
The author has added 27 land biomes and 10 ocean biomes, including mushroom islands and ice spikes, to the 1.16 land set.
Datapack ores and trees
Ores and trees from datapacks, such as copper ores and trees from Dynamic Trees, are noted as working with the mod.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Exploring large worlds
A player who wants a map with continents and long river systems can create a ShanHe world for survival or creative play.
Who it’s for: Players and server owners who want large, sculpted continents and are willing to accept long world creation times and an early-stage feature set. Multiplayer and Chunky compatibility are untested.
How it compares
Epic Terrain Compatible is a Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt mod for 1.19 – 1.21.11, licensed as All rights reserved and only server-side required. Layers is a Forge-only server-side mod for 1.20.1. ShanHe runs on both client and server across Fabric and Forge for 1.16.5 and 1.20.1, so it needs the same install on both sides, unlike those two.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShanHe | Fabric and Forge | 1.16.5 – 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2026-03-26 |
| Epic Terrain Compatible | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.19 – 1.21.11 | Server required, client optional | 2026-07-05 |
| Layers ( world generation ) | Forge | 1.20.1 | Server-side only | 2025-06-18 |
Questions
Does ShanHe need to be installed on the server?
Which loaders does ShanHe support?
Why does creating a ShanHe world take so long?
In the catalog
ShanHe is one of 8,515 World generation mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,027 World generation mods for Fabric. 34,764 mods support Minecraft 1.20.1.
Similar mods
What the author says
This mod uses the method in "Large Scale Terrain Generation from Tectonic Uplift and Fluvial Erosion" to create a continent every 4096 block. This description is for ShanHe mod at version 1.16.5 # How to use Download corresponded version of MC and this mod, put it in your mod folder, choose world type "shanhe" or…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/shanhe
- Owner
- Linsan1
- Published
- 2025-12-23
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-03-26
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15