Three Gorges, Yangtze River

The most impressive part of the Yangtze River is the three gorges: the Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge. Yangtze River Cruises offer you a good chance to relax. At the same time you may experience Chinese culture first hand by discovering the stunning Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, ancient Shennong Stream, and two world famous construction sites - Three Gorges Dam Project and Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project. Let's discover it together!

The Three Gorges (San Xia) scenic area on the Yangzi River includes some 200 km of rapids and dramatic, sharp bends set close between high limestone cliffs on either side, in the area between Baidicheng in Sichuan and Yichang in Hubei Province. The scheduled completion of the Three Gorges Dam project upstream from Yichang around 2008 will raise the water levels some 100 m, forever changing some of the most historically celebrated scenery in China. The area is reached via ferries or cruise ships running downstream from Chongqing to Yichang, or on to Wuhan or all the way to Shanghai.

In earlier times all the way down to the early 20th century navigating this stretch of the Yangzi River was dangerous and back-breaking work. Upstream vessels often needed the labor of hundreds of trackers on the riverbanks who hauled boats against the current using long ropes, sometimes taking weeks. By the 1950's the most troublesome rocks and reefs had been removed, making the river navigable to ferry boats and cruise ships.

The first stop on the route downstream from Chongqing is the town of Fuling, overlooking the mouth of the Wu River that runs south into Guizhou. In the middle of the Yangzi River here is a huge rock known as Baihe Ridge, with three carvings known as "stone fish" on one side that may have served as watermarks for navigation since ancient times. The next major town is Fengdu, 193 km (120 miles) northeast of Chongqing, and known as the "city of devils."

The first of the three Yangzi Gorges is known as the Qutang Gorge, which, at 8 kilometers long, is the smallest and shortest of the Three Gorges, but contains the fastest water. On the north bank are remains of Warring States Period peoples who buried their dead in coffins set in crevices in high caves along the riverside cliffs. Nine coffins discovered in such crevices include bronze swords and armor from the period. The cliff sides include square holes bored into the rock to hold support timbers for plank roads and scaffolds.

Wu Gorge extends from the mouth of the DaningRiver in WushanCounty, ChongqingCity in the west to Guandukou in Badong County, Hubei Province in the east. Wu Gorge 44 kilometers long. The gorge is known for its deep valleys and forest covered mountains. Wu Gorge is a long and neat gorge divided into two sections - the Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge and the Iron Coffin Gorge.

Wu Gorge is full of zigzags, weird peaks, rising mists and beautiful sights. As the river cut through the WushanMountains, its roaring currents change their directions constantly. Travelling through the gorge in a boat, one sometimes may find the way blocked by mountains. But a sharp turn of the boat brings one to an area of entirely different scenery. It is the most beautiful part of the Yangtze, green trees and bushes, together with fogs and clouds, cover the high peaks.

The famous scenery are as the following:
TwelvePeaks on both banks of the river, in particular, are the most spectacular. These triangle-looking peaks described by legend as twelve fairy spirits, such as a fairy maid dancing, a dragon soaring into the sky, a peacock displaying its feathers or a piece of colorful brocade. The best -known is the poetic GoddessPeak, the graceful shape of which resembles a girl looking down at the boats in the river. Many mythological tales and countless number of poems have been written about this particular peak.

Wushan at the entrance to Wu Gorge and Badong and Zigui in the broad valley of the Fragrant Stream (Xiangxi) are famous towns in the gorge. There are many famous historical sites too. The town of Zigui is attracting a large number of tourists because it is the native place of the great ancient poet and patriotic politician Qu Yuan and the famous beauty Wang Zhaojun from East Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago.

The Daning River at the western entrance to Wu Gorge is flanked by continuous strange peaks, some of them rising into the clouds and presenting an unusual scene. The section of the river becomes known as the Lesser Three Gorges. Their nordinary beauty is so charming and it has been praised by more and more visitors.

Xiling Gorge extends from Badong County in the west to the Nanjin Pass in Yichang in the east, about 66 km long. It is the longest of the Three Gorges and is entirely within Hubei Province. This gorge is full of shoals and rapid currents. The most dangerous shoals are Xietan, Qingtan and Kong Ling, collectively known as the Three Shoals of Xiling. Among all the dangerous shoals, Qingtan Shoal and Kongling Shoal are the most famous. Qingtan Shoal, stretched between "Tactics Books and Sword Gorge" and "Bull's Liver and Horse's Lung Gorge", including First Shoal, Second Shoal and Third Shoal, runs 1.5 km from west to east, teeming with reefs and convulsed with sweeping, boisterous rapids.

Kongling Shoal lies in the Miaohe section. The local people have always said: "Qintan and Xietan are not real shoals compared with hell gate of Kongling Shoal.Many other scenic spots composed in Xiling Gorge, Bull's Liver and Horse Lung Gorge, "Tactics Books and Sword Gorge", and "Shadow Play Gorge", "Huangling Temple", "Three Travelers' Cave", "Horse Bell Rock", Mt. Qingshi (Black Lion) in Shipai Town, Three Swords Peak at Nantuo.

Edited by Athena Lee