Wanxian County



As the halfway city between Yichang and Chongqing, Wanxian was a main port for East Sichuan
merchandise.

Wanxian County received its present name during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and became a foreign
Treaty Port in 1902. In l926 two British gunboats bombarded the city, causing massive fires, when the
local warlord took to commandeering foreign vessels for the transport of his troops. Following this
incident, a boycott on the loading and unloading of British vessels was enforced for several years. This
became known as the Wanxian Incident.

It is situated high above the river and the foundations of the buildings are many meters high. Porters vie with each other to carry passengers'
luggage up the steep stairways to the city. The winding streets vary in level from 29 to 206 meters, so bicycles ate a rare sight.

Wanxian has a number of silk-weaving and spinning factories supported by intense silkworm cultivation--operated on a family basis - which
continues year round in Wanxian County. You may visit silk-weaving factories and the Three Gorges Museum and enjoy the exiting acrobatic show
and take a leisurely tour of busy local market.

Visitors can see city's ten free markets sells local produce and seasonal delicacies such as mountain
mushrooms or live eels. There was a community of foreign missionaries in Sichuan before 1949, and two
churches - one Catholic and one Protestant-continue to draw sizeable congregations of country folk. Small,
round, red- trimmed baskets with lids are the most popular item and are well known throughout China.