Three Gorges of Yangtze River: General Introduction
The Yangtze River is famous for its historical sites and enchanting scenic spots. The Three Gorges Cruise is the most attractive. Being famous for a majestic view of the Qutang Gorge, the deep and quite canyon of the Wuxia Gorge and the dangerous torrents and shoals of the Xiling Gorge, the Three Gorges are the fine scenic spots of the worldwide level. Numerous scenic lookouts as the bright jewels adorn the Three Gorges forming a beautiful gallery of landscape. It looks as if a fairyland with the cruise on board along the section of the Yangtze River. A tour of china will be incomplete without a tour of the Yangtze River.
Qutang Gorge
Qutang Gorge, at 8 kilometers long is actually the shortest gorge along the famous Yangtze River. The Gorge stretches west of the Baidi Mountain. At the western mouth, the precipice rises hundreds of meters high on both sides of the river, like a door to the Yangtze River less then one hundred meters wide. The gate to the gorge itself is one of the most impressive sights along the route.
Although this is the smallest of the gorges, it is actually the most powerful and the water here flows most rapidly at this spot. A general deal was written about this spot by the ancients who believed that the route was almost impossible to navigate.
On the northern bank here, at Fengxiang or Bellows, are a series of interesting little crevices. It was the custom of ancient tribes to place their dead in the high mountain crevices and caves here. Nine coffins have been discovered tucked up here, the most interesting containing bronze swords, armour and other artifacts dating back to the Warring States Period.
The Wu Gorge
The Wu Gorge or the Grand Gorge boasts the most immediately beautiful and spectacular scenery of the Three Gorges. The Wu Gorge stretches across tow counties: Chongqing and Badong in Hubei and stretches for over 40 kilometers starting in the west from the mouth of the Daning River to Badong County in the east. Flanking the river are a series of green mountains with precipices and peaks where the water zigzags forward and gives away to some attractive scenery.
The Gorge is most famous for its Kong Ming Tablet-a large slab of rock inscribed with a description of the alliance between the Shu and Wu States. The Tablet actually resembles a huge pair of scissors, pointing skywards. Badong is the main town along this stretch, situated on the southern bank of the river within the gorge. Twelve Peaks line the banks of the Gorge here, rising thousands of meters into the sky, amongst which, Wangxia Peak or the Goddess Peakis the most exquisite.
Xiling Gorge
Xiling Gorge is renowned for being extremely perilous. The Gorge, 80 kilometers long, is the longest of the Yangtze’s Three Gorges stretching form Xiangxikuo in the east to Nanjingguan in the west and covering two prefectures inHubei Province. The water in this gorge is full of turbulent currents and whirlpools and dangerous shoals.