Wu Gorge
» Chongqing, Si Chuan

巫峡 '汉水波浪远,巫山云雨飞' '曾经沧海难为水,除却巫山不是云'

Three Gorges

As you sail on past Qutang Gorge, you will gradually enter Wu Gorge, an area that's pristine beauty has captivated artists, poets, and sightseers for centuries. Wu Gorge begins at the bayou of the Daning River in Chongqing and stretches about 45 kilometers to Badong County where it ends in Guandukou, Hubei Province. It is a long and neat gorge divided into two sections - the Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge and Bawu Gorge or the Iron Coffin Gorge.

"What a breathtaking sight!"

Twelve lofty peaks gleam above the floating mist which almost continuously hovers over the river (due to the depth of the gorge and lack of sunlight on the river). The mountains often appear to change shape as they peer out from the mist, giving the gorge a touch of romantic mysticism. Goddess Peak (Shennv Feng) is the highest of the twelve peaks and can be identified by the waterfalls that spill gracefully down her mountainside. When the sun shines on the Twelve Peaks of Wu Gorge, the view is breathtaking.

The river of Wu Gorge cuts its way through two majestic mountains, which provide a stunning green backdrop for the flowing water. The steep slopes of the gorge are green with trees and bushes. It was a dangerous place for boat navigators, who faced dangers including whirlpools, quicksand, and currents that varied from hour to hour. As the river cuts its way through the Mt. Wushan, its roaring currents change their directions constantly.

Why do visit

While the pristine mountains and picturesque surroundings alone make a trip to Wu Gorge worthwhile, a number of riverside attractions add even more to the area's appeal. Historical landmarks, ranging from ancient temples to notable inscriptions, are conveniently located on the river banks and should not be missed on your visit. In addition to the mountains, one finds smaller features, each of which has legends told about it. These include the Hengshi Brook, the Rat's Cave, the Mountain-Penetrating Arrow, the Arrow-Penetrated Hole, and the Dragon Back Rock.

Twelve Peaks

Looking down the Yangtze River, Mt. Wushan sees 12 high peaks, which are described by legend as 12 fairy spirits. These are the most prominent aspects of the scenery of Wu Gorge. Many legends relate to the twelve peaks. Among the twelve, the Goddess Peak (Shennv Feng) is the highest and most notable. As it is the first peak to welcome the sun's glow and says farewell to its afterglow, it is also called Wangxia Peak (Looking at the Sunglow peak). There are some popular legends relating to it that are worth knowing.

The six peaks along the northern bank are Denglong (Climbing Dragon) Peak, Shengquan (Sage Spring) Peak, Zhaoyun (Facing Clouds) Peak, Goddess Peak (Shennv Feng), Songluan (Fir Tree Cone) Peak, and the Jixian (Congregated Immortals) Peak. The southern bank has Feifeng (Flying Phoenix) Peak, Cuiping (Misty Screen) Peak, Juhe (Assembled Cranes) Peak, Jingtan (Clean Altar) Peak, Qiyun (Rising Cloud) Peak, and Shangsheng (Rising) Peak; the last three are not at the riverside.

Goddess Peak (Shennv Feng)

It is well known that, along the Wu Gorge, there are twelve unique peaks. Among them, the most prominent one is the Goddess Peak (Shennv Feng). The peak looks like a beautiful and pious maiden standing gracefully on the northern bank, Hence the name.

"Looking Sunglow Peak"

Because the Goddess Peak is the highest peak among the twelve peaks and is first to greet the sun and sees off the afterglow at sun set every day, it has another name - Wangxia Peak (Looking Sunglow Peak).

Legend about the Peak

For thousands of years, people have made up many legends about the Goddess Peak. Among them the most popular one goes like this: In the Prehistoric Times, there lived many fairies in the palace of heaven, among them, a clever and beautiful one was called Yao Ji. On the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, she invited her eleven sisters to visit the earthly world, as she felt lonely in heaven. When they arrived at the Wu Gorge, they encountered Yu the Great controlling the flood there. Moved by his spirit, Yao Ji decided to help by sending him a sealed book relating to the control of water.

However, before she deciphered the book to Dayu, she and his sisters were caught by the soldiers from heaven. In order to help Yu the Great, they broke the chain used to tie them, and returned to the earth. With the help of Yao Ji and her eleven sisters, the flood was finally overcome. Since then, Yao Ji and her sisters remained in the Three Gorges area and helped the local people to tame the water. They forgot to return and turned into twelve elegant peaks along the banks of Wu Gorge. Shennv Peak is the incarnation of Yao Ji.

Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge (Jinkui Yinjia Xia)

Jinkui Tiejia Gorge is one of the small gorges of Wu Gorge. It is located six miles along the lower reaches of the Wu Gorge. Here is a stream called Hengshi Stream on the northern bank. At the confluence of the stream and the Yangtze River is a residential area called Hengshi. A peak stands upright in this area. From afar, it can be seen as yellow in its upper part while the lower part is white resembling a knight wearing a golden helmet and silver armor. This is why the gorge has been named the Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge.

When viewed closely, the rocks in the Hengshi Area appear in many thin layers like the squama in a grayish white. They resemble the silver armor of the ancient knight. On the top of the peak, the limestone has a helmet's shape. Its color is filemot, which makes it resemble a golden helmet even more.

Kong Ming Tablet

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. It is beneath the Jixian Peak. On the quadrate white cliff, six characters have been carved. According to legend, the characters are those of Zhuge Liang's handwriting (a celebrity of Three Kingdoms Period). The Tablet actually resembles a huge pair of scissors, pointing skywards.

Small Three Gorges

Daninghe River flows into the Yangtze River from the western mouth of Wu Gorge, flanked by continuous strange peaks, some of them rising into the clouds and presenting an unusual scene. It is the largest tributary of the Yangtze. The Small Three Gorges located at the lower reaches of Daning River are worth a visit by tourists. When drifting along the Small Three Gorges, historic relics such as the ancient plank road, suspended coffins, and the boat coffins can be viewed.

Town of Zigui

Mt. 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.

Attractions around » Chongqing, Si Chuan

Natural Scene

Natural Scene

Historical Site

Historical Site

Cultural Site

Cultural Site

River & Waterfall

River & Waterfall

Nature Reserve & Scenic Area

Nature Reserve & Scenic Area
  1. What's the history of Yangtze River?
  2. What are the characteristics of Yangtze river?
  3. How's the environment around Yangtze River?
  4. When is the best time to cruise on the Yangtze River?
  5. What's the difference between upstream and downstream?
  6. What are the sightseeings alongside the river?
  7. What does the cruise ticket include?
  8. How are the ship meals arranged?
  9. What is the difference between an ocean cruise ship and a Yangtze River cruise ship on management structure?
  10. Is there any limit for luggage?

  1. What's the history of Yangtze River?

    The Yangtze Harbor is important to the cultural origins of southern China. Human activity was found in the Three Gorges area as far back as 27 thousand years ago, initiating debate over the origin of the Chinese people. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Ba and Shu were located in the western part of the river, covering modern Sichuan, Chongqing, and western Hubei; Chu was located in the central part of river, corresponding to Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and southern Anhui. Wu and Yue were located in the eastern part of the river, now Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. Although the Yellow River region was richer and more developed at that time, the milder climate and more peaceful environment made the Yangtze river area more suitable for agriculture.

    From the Han Dynasty, the region of the Yangtze river became more and more important in China's economy. The establishment of irrigation systems (the most famous one is Dujiangyan, northwest of Chengdu, built during the Warring States period) made agriculture very stable and productive. Early in the Qing dynasty, the region called 'Jiangnan' (that includes the southern part of Jiangsu, the northern part of Zhejiang, and the southeastern part of Anhui) provided 1/3-1/2 of the nation's revenues.

    Historically, the Yangtze became the political boundary between north China and south China several times because of the difficulty of crossing the river. Many battles took place along the river, the most famous being the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 AD during the Three Kingdoms period.

    Politically, Nanjing was the capital of China several times, although most of the time its territory only covered the southeastern part of China, such as the Wu kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and smaller countries in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms periods. Only the Ming occupied most parts of China from their capital at Nanjing, though it later moved capital to Beijing. The ROC capital was located in Nanjing in the periods 1911-1912, 1927-1937, 1945-1949.


  2. What are the characteristics of Yangtze river?

    The Yangtze flows into the East China Sea and was navigable by ocean-going vessels up to a thousand miles from its mouth even before the Three Gorges Dam was built. As of June 2003, this dam spans the river, flooding Fengjie, the first of a number of towns affected by the massive flood control and power generation project. This is the largest comprehensive irrigation project in the world, and has a significant impact on the China's agriculture. Its proponents argue that it will free people living along the river from floods that have repeatedly threatened them in the past, and will offer them electricity and water transport -- though at the expense of permanently flooding many existing towns (including numerous ancient cultural relics) and causing large-scale changes in the local ecology.

    Opponents of the dam point out that there are three different kinds of floods on the Yangtze River: floods which originate in the upper reaches, floods which originate in the lower reaches, and floods along the entire length of the river. They argue that the Three Gorges dam will actually make flooding in the upper reaches worse and have little or no impact on floods which originate in the lower reaches. Twelve hundred years of low water marks on the river were recorded in the inscriptions and the carvings of carp at Baiheliang, now submerged.

    The Yangtze is flanked with metallurgical, power, chemical, auto, building materials and machinery industrial belts, and high-tech development zones. It is playing an increasingly crucial role in the river valley's economic growth and has become a vital link for international shipping to the inland provinces. The river is a major transportation artery for China, connecting the interior with the coast. The river used as a waterway for commerce offer now the possibility to cruise at leisure. Since 2004 a European luxury cruising company has brought very high standard and with the help of Swiss hotelier Nicolas C. Solari developed and opened three beautiful vessels now cruising the mighty river. The river is one of the world's busiest waterways. Traffic includes commercial traffic transporting bulk goods such as coal as well as manufactured goods and passengers. Cargo transportation reached 795 million tons in 2005. River cruises several days long especially through the beautiful and scenic Three Gorges area are becoming popular as the tourism industry grows in China.

    Flooding along the river has been a major problem. The rainy season in China is May and June in areas south of Yangtze River, and July and August in areas north of it. The huge river system receives water both from southern and northern flanks, which causes its flood season to extend from May to August. Meanwhile, the relatively dense population and rich cities along the river make the floods more deadly and costly. The most recent major floods were the 1998 Yangtze River Floods, but more disastrous were the 1954 Yangtze river floods, killing around 30,000 people. Other severe floods included those of 1911 which killed around 100,000, 1931 (145,000 dead), and 1935 (142,000 dead).

    The Yangtze is very polluted, especially in Hubei (Shashi).

  3. How's the environment around Yangtze River?

    In 2007 fears were expressed that China's Finless Porpoise, known locally as the jiangzhu or'river pig' might follow the baiji, the Yangtze river dolphin, into extinction. The baiji was declared functionally extinct in 2006.

    Calls have been made for action to be taken to save the porpoise, of which there are about 1400 left living, with between 700 and 900 in the Yangtze, with about another 500 in Poyang and Dongting Lakes.

    2007 population levels are less than half the 1997 levels, and the population is dropping at a rate of 7.3 percent per year.

    Heavy river traffic on the Yangtze has driven the porpoise into the lakes. On Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, sand dredging has become a mainstay of local economical development in the last few years, and is an important source of revenue in the region that border it. But at the same time, high-density dredging projects have been the principal cause of the death of the local wildlife population.

    Dredging makes the waters of the lake muddier, and the porpoises cannot see as far as they once could, and have to rely on their highly-developed sonar systems to avoid obstacles and look for food. Large ships enter and leave the lake at the rate of two a minute and such a high density of shipping means the porpoises have difficulty hearing their food, and also cannot swim freely from one bank to the other. About 30% of river's major tributaries like Minjiang, Tuojiang, Xiangjiang and Huangpu are heavily polluted by massive quantities of ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants which are causing significantly smaller fish catch.

    The Three Gorges Dam is having a major adverse impact on the Yangtze River basin, especially the biota and archaeology.

  4. When is the best time to cruise on the Yangtze River?

    Any time is okay to travel when ships are sailing. The most popular times are April, May, September, October and even November as the good weather lingers much longer in China than that in North America.


  5. What's the difference between upstream and downstream?

    The advantage and disadvantage of upstream trip and downstream trip is the following

    • UPSTREAM

      1, Upstream trip is more relax and comfortable because of one more day staying on the cruise ship. The passengers will not feel tired and busy during these days.

      2, For foreigners, you may have more chance to know and learn some chinese culture and custom.

      3, For persons who have not enough time to travel, upstream is not a good selection.

      4, The place of the begining is Yichang city in which the airport route is not enough for the travellers around the world.

    • DOWNSTREAM

      1, Chongqing has a bigger airport, so it's easier for them to get to Chongqing boarding the cruise ship from many cities.

      2, Most people think downstream trip gives you the feeling that you're going down the main stream.

      3, For some travellers who have not enough time. The downstream trip is best choice.

      4, As there are more people take downstream cruises, it's more expensive and more crowded.


  6. What are the sightseeings alongside the river?

    The cruise will allow you to enjoy some unique sights including superlative natural scenery, important historical sites.
    Some of the highlights from Chongqing to Yichuan are:

      • Chaotianmen Gate Chaotianmen Gate is the largest harbor on the upper reach of the Yangtze River. It is an amazing place where the brown, muddy Yangtze meets the clear Jialing River.

      • Fengdu Ghost City It is said to be the home of devil. The whole place has an eerie feel to it with deserted streets, tower blocks, empty shops and banks.

      • Shibaozhai Shibaozhai is a rectangular rock with sheer cliffs, standing on the riverside. A 12-storey red wooden pagoda with upturned eaves stands on the top.

      • Lesser Three Gorges The Lesser Three Gorges refers to the three separate valleys of the Daning River with the names of Dragon Gate Gorge, Misty Gorge and Emerald Gorge. The gorges are truly spectacular. Sheer cliffs soar up towards the sky from the brown-green water. Mountain tops hover above the ribbon of mist, disconnected from their roots.

      • Shennong Sream Shennong Stream is a tributary of the Yangtze River. The crystal clear steam flows swiftly from north to south through deep gorges.

      • Baidi City(White Emperor City) Baidi City clings to grand hills and cliffs. It is well known as 'the Poet City' Many ancient scholars once visited it and left many literary relics.

      • Gezhou Dam The dam is 2,606 meters long and 70 meters high. There will be 5 ship locks and even an elevator to lift smaller ships over the dam.

    Note: You may only see some of those sights along your trip, which depends on the ship you take.

  7. What does the cruise ticket include?

    The price is very comprehensive as it includes the accommodation, all meals on board, shore excursions and port taxes. The extra costs would be gratuity which is your personal discretion, drinks in bars, long distance telephone calls and faxes, laundry, barbershop, clinics, massage, shopping and others personal expenses.

  8. How are the ship meals arranged?

    Each ship has a big restaurant, which can accommodate all passengers on board the ship. So, there are no shifts on board the ship.Passengers are arranged at appointed tables, which are planned by travel group, nationality, habit of food, religion and culture. Usually, ten persons are at one table. Sometimes, three to five persons are at one table, which depend on the total number of the passengers. There are many collective activities such as shore excursions and they have fixed schedules, so the meal schedules are fixed, too. It takes 1-1.5 hours to have your meals rely on the schedule. A three-star or above cruise ship provides room dinner service and local flavor banquet if you book half or one day in advance. If you are a patient, or Moslem, or Buddhist, you may give advanced notice. Diet, vegetarian, low sugar and low salt food are also available.

    Each ship has a welcome banquet and farewell banquet, on which dishes are delivered to table. Some five-star ships offer authentic western banquets, with silver forks and knives, provide imported butter, cheese. Most cruise ships arrange buffet meals, with both Chinese and western food.

    Most ships also take orders for Chinese dishes. If you want to treat somebody special on the ship, even with a banquet, it can be arranged. The main menu is published on the notice board in front of the restaurant. Ask the waiter or waitress if you are not sure.

    Here is a list of food provided on board:

      • Chinese Wine Tsingtao Dry Wine, Dynasty Dry White Wine, Dynasty Red Wine, Loyal

      • Cocktail with Alcohol tw Medini, Grass Hopper, Whisky Sour, Teqinla Suririse, Planter Punch, Tom Collins, Margarita, Daiquiri, Pina Bloody Mary.

      • Cocktail without Alcohol Royal Cruise, Pussy Foot, Fn, iit Punch

      • Soft Drinks (aerated water, mineral, juice) Cola, Diet Cola, Spirit Sodri Tonic, Evian Water, Pemer Water, Localwater, Orange Juice, Tomato Juice, Coconut Milk

      • Aperiiifs Campari, Pemo4 Martini

      • Sherry Port Cream Sheny, Fino Sheny, Sandeman Port

      • Whisky Scotch Whisky, Whisky, Irish Whisky, Malt Whisky, Bour Whisky

      • Vodka Smimoff Vodka, Stolichiiaya Vodka

      • Gin, Gordonfs

      • Rum Captain Morgen, Bacardi Rum

      • Congnac Courvoisier Napolone, Remy Martin. Hennessy

      • Congnac Courvoisier X. O, Remy Martin X. O, Hennessy X. O, Martell Cordon Bleu

      • Spirit Pernod, Underberg, Tequila

      • Beer and Stout Carlsberg, Heineken. San Miguel, Stout

      • Chinese Spirits Fen Jiu, Mao Tai, Bai Yun Bian, Wu Liang Ye

  9. What is the difference between an ocean cruise ship and a Yangtze River cruise ship on management structure?

    The management system on the Yangtze is simple. The general manager is in charge, which is different from ocean cruise vessels. Captain is in charge of the operation of mechanical part of the ship. He must concentrate on the sailing because there are lots of gorges, reefs and shoals in the river. The captains on the Yangtze River are experienced and have been examined and promoted strictly. Ordinarily, there are one hundred and half travelers and one hundred staffs on one ship.


  10. Is there any limit for luggage?

    There is no rule for the number of the pieces or weight of personal luggage on your cruise ship. But closet space is limited, so bring things you intend to use. There is a luggage rack in every room and luggage deposit service is available. If you are a member of a travel group, your luggage will be sent to ship in advance or arrive at the same time you check in. The luggage will be sent into your cabin by the bellboy once your cabin is assigned. If you are traveling individually, the bellboy will help you. But the ships usually charge $1 per piece, arrival or departure. Please note this is not tip and you have to pay upfront on the spot.If you want to pay tip when he has finished his job, give him one or two ten-yuan bills when you do not have a lot of stuff.

Flanked by high peaks that are often capped by fog or clouds, Wu Gorge was long known to be as dangerous as it is beautiful. The river of Wu Gorge cuts its way through two majestic mountains, which provide a stunning green backdrop for the flowing water. It is the most beautiful part of the Yangtze, full of zigzags, weird peaks, rising mists and beautiful sights.

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