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 Yangtze River |
 The Yangtze River (Changjiang), over 6,300 kilometers long, is the largest and longest river in China, and the third-longest in the world, next only to the Nile in northeast Africa and the Amazon in South America. The source of the Yangtze River lies to the west of Geladandong Mountain, the principal peak of the Tanggula Mountain chain in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, southwest of China. The river flows from west to east through provinces of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu as well as the city of Shanghai, finally emptying into the East China Sea. With plenty of rainfall all year round, the Yangtze River is named the golden watercourse.
The most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River gorges: Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge, collectively known as Sanxia, or the Three Gorges.
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Qutang Gorge |
Immediately below Baidi City is Kui
Men, the entrance to the first of the three gorges of
the Yangtze River-the eight--kilometre
(five-mile) long  Qutang Gorge (also known by early
Western travellers as the Wind Box Gorge). The shortest
but grandest of them all, the gorge's widest point is
only 150 metres (500 feet). Mists frequently swirl
around the mysterious Iimestone peaks, some nearly 1,200
metres (4,000 feet) high, and the river rushes swift as
an arrow through the narrow entrance, pounding the
perpendicular cliff faces on either side of the
gorge.
This gorge was a particularly
dangerous stretch during high-water seasons and has been
known to rise to 50 metres (165 feet). An upper Yangtze
steamboat captain recalled how in September l929 the
level of water was 75 metres (246 feet), and likened the
passage to a trough, with the water banked up on both
sides. His ship became quite unmanageable, and was
carried down, broadside on, only coming under control
again at the lower end. He would never, he vowed, try to
negotiate it again at such a level.
Two mountains--Red
Passage Mountain (Chijia Shan) to the north, once
compared to a celestial peach, and White Salt Mountain
(Baiyan Shan) to the south form the Kui Men entrance,
their steep precipices like the wings of a giant door
guarding the tumultuous waters.
At the
highest point above Hanging Monk Rock one can see Armour
Cave (Kuanaiia Dong) where it is said a Song-dynasty
woman general hid her weapons. In 1958 the cave was
explored and found to contain three 2,000-year-old
wooden coffins from the Kingdom of Ba, in which were
bronze swords and lacquered wooden
combs.
Near the Meng Liang Stairway
is the Drinking Phocnix Spring, a stalagmite in the
shape of a phoenix drinking the sweet spring--water.
Nearby is the Chalk Wall (Fengbi Tang) where 900
characters, dating from the Song dynasty, have been
carved by famous calligraphers on the rock face. The
site derives its name from the limestone powder which
was used to smooth rock surfaces before being
carved.
Two kilometres (1.2 miles)
further, the Baozi Tan (a triple rapid) and the XiamaTan
used to be serious dangers to shipping at low-water
level. A traveller on one of the Yangtze steamships in
the 1930s remarked : Only the throbbing of the engines
as the bow entered the most turbulent part of the rapid,
and buried its nose deep in the boiling water, revealed
its presence to the uninitiated. But on looking back one
could see that there had been a drop of two or three
feet in the water where the rapid was most violent.
Above it was a series of whirlpools and races. |
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Wuxia Gorge |
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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 DaningRiver 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.
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Xiling Gorge |
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. |
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