The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is one of the must-see in classic China tours. It starts from Baidi City, Fengjie County, Chongqing City in the west, to Nanjin Pass, Yichang City, Hubei Province in the east, with a total length of 193 kilometers. A luxury cruise voyage is the best way to explore the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. This article introduces 7 top things to do and see on a Yangtze River cruise.
1. Fengdu Ghost Town
Located on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Fengdu County, Chongqing Municipality, Fengdu Ghost Town is the location of the legendary “netherworld”, and is also the centralised embodiment of China’s netherworld culture. Here are the eighteen layers of hell in the underworld and the mystical bridge of Naihe.
2. Shibaozhai
Shibaozhai is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Zhongxian County, Chongqing. The name Shibao (precious stone) comes from a stone that is more than ten meters high in this river. It is believed that the goddess who repaired the sky left behind the colourful stone.
On the outskirts of Yuyin Mountain, Shibaozhai is a twelve-story wooden building. “Nine heavy days” is implied by the fact that it was originally nine stories high. Shibaozhai is one of the few remaining wooden structures in China and is known as “one of the eight bizarre buildings in the world”.
3. Zhang Fei Temple
Located at the foot of Feifeng Mountain on the south bank of the Yangtze River, Zhangfei Temple has a history of more than 1700 years. There are a large number of precious calligraphy and paintings and hundreds of inscriptions in the temple, most of which are rare treasures.
4. Baidi City
Baidi City, located in Fengjie County, Chongqing, is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River at the mouth of Qutang Gorge. Baidi City is an old Chinese military stronghold with several gates and a city inside another city.
5. The Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam, located in Yichang, Hubei Province, was built in 1994. It is one of the biggest water conservation complex buildings in the world today, combining flood control, electricity generating, shipping, and water resource use.
6. Wu Gorge
Wu Gorge travels 46 kilometres from Wushan County’s East Daning River to Badong County’s Guandou halt. When the Yangtze River cruise ship is moving between the steep peaks, the long and deep gorge, and the whirling fog and clouds, as if it were entering a Chinese landscape painting.
7. Goddess Peak
Also known as the Beauty Peak, the Goddess Peak is located on the north bank of the Wuxia River about 15 kilometers east of Wushan County. A boulder protrudes in the clouds of Qingfeng, like a graceful, beautiful girl, so the name of the goddess peak. It is the most beautiful of the 12 peaks of Wushan. According to legend, the Wushan goddess Yao Ji lived here.
