|
|
| Scenic spots on the way |
|
When the grand Yangtze winds it's way eastward, it cuts through undulating mountains in the east of the Sichuan Basin and forms the world-known Three Gorges. Following are attractions you can enjoy when cruising .
|
 |
• Fengdu-Ghost City |
Fengdu , on the northern bank of the Yangtze river , was in the past more popularly known as the “ City of Ghost ”. Its name can be traced to the“Fengwen”Dam and“Pingdu”Mountain, which are in the surrounding countryside.
It seems that the origin of the town's extraordinary reputation dates back to the Han dynasty (206BC-AD220) when two officials, Yin and Wang, became Daoist (Taoist) recluses here and eventually Immortals. When combined, their names mean “King of the Underworld”. Today, however, the town is thronged with tourists attracted by temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld.
From the Tang Dynasty (618-907) on, feudal rulers down through the centuries built scores of temples on Pingdu Mountain . They house sculptures of devils and demons in various fantastic postures. Some carvings are called“Between the living and the Dead”, the “ Bridge of Helplessness ”, the “Balcony of Nostalgia”, the “Palace of the Jade Emperor”, the “God of Constellations”, the “Palace of the King of Hell” and the “ Palace of Rosy Clouds ”. They all demonstrate the exquisite carving skills of the Chinese people of ancient times . |
• Shibaozai |
 Shibaozhai (Stone Treasure Stronghold), on the northern bank of the Changjiang River and 52 kilometers away from Wanxian County. This is a rock over 30 meters high which juts up in the air and looks like a rectangular seal lying on the ground, hence the nickname-“Stone Seal”. In the early years of the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1797) of the Qing Dynasty, a temple“Lanruodian”was built at the top. To facilitate the ascent to the temple, a pavilion was built during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1797-1821) of the same dynasty. This wooden structure shaped like a pagoda 11-storeys high was built close to the stone stockade on the river side. Visitors can climb to the top of the stronghold by a spiral staircase built in the pavilion. From there they can enjoy a beautiful view of the wooded mountain ranges on one side and the winding Changjiang dotted with numerous white sails on the other. The fresh, cool breeze makes people feel relaxed and happy. The“Lanruodian”Temple houses a statue of Buddha and a stone tablet with inscriptions on it to commemorate the construction of the pavilion. These are among the important historical relics of the locality.
According to a popular legend, long time ago there was a small hole in the temple, from which rice poured out every day. Small as the stone hole was, it provided the monks there and occasional visitors with just enough rice for their daily meal. The grateful monks called it the “Stone Treasure.” But some greedy monks thought that if they made the hole bigger, more rice would pour out and they could make a fortune out of it. The moment they set to work, the“Stone Treasure”died and not a single grain of rice has come out ever since. That was a punishment meted out to those insatiable monks, the legend says. |
|
| • Fengjie |
The name Fengjie first came into being in the Tang Dynasty. Originally named “Yufu”County, this place was called“Kuifu”when it was made capital of the State of Kui during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period (770 B.C.—221 B.C.). Situated on the northern bank of the Changjiang River, it overlooks the Qutang Gorge which is the starting point of the beautiful scenes of the Three Gorges.
Fengjie's history dates back two thousand years. The tall city wall and its well-protected city gate still remain. To the east is Baidicheng—a scenic spot of historical interest, and in the countryside stands a thatched house where the great poet Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty once lived. |
| • BaiDiCheng (White Emperor city) |
Several hundred steps lead up the wooded BaiDi Mountain . Because of its strategic position the town was chosen in the first century by Gong sun shu, an official turned soldier, as the site of his headquarters. The legend goes that in AD25 white vapour in the shape of a dragon was seen rising from a nearby well. Taking this as an auspicious omen, Gong declared himself the “white Emperor” and the town “white Emperor city”. Remains of the city wall can still be seen on the hill behind Baidi Mountain .
The Western Pavilion on the slope is believed to have been occupied by the great poet Du Fu, who wrote numerous poems at this site in Dang Dynasty.
A red wall with an imposing yellow dragon-head gateway sruuouds the temple complex. Though the temple was originally dedicated to Gong sunshu, the White emperor, his statue was removed in the Ming dynasty(1368-1644) and replaced with images of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, heroes of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. The present halls date from the Ming dynasty. The front hall contains large modern statues which depict Liu Bei on his deathbed entrusting his sons to the care of Zhuge Liang.
Mingliang Hall is dedicate to Liu Bei, who is shown surrounded by four attendants, as well as the black-faced Zhang Fei, and the red-faced Guan Yu on one side, and Zhuge Liang on the other.
Fine view of the entrance to Qutang Gorge can be seen from the temple. When the Three Gorges Dam is completely finished, the Baidi Mountain will become an island. |
| • The Shenglong Stream |
 The Shenlong River originates at the foot of the Shenlong Mountains that is one of the national nature reserves. It flows downstream into the Yangtze at the Wuxia Gorge. With its crystal-clear flow of water, it is an ideal place to go rafting. |
| • Danning River and The Lesser Three Gorges |
 The Da Ning River, 300 kilometers in length, is the biggest tributary of the Changjiang River. Longmen Gorge, Bawu Gorge, Di Cui Gorge are the most outstanding spots in the seven gorges, and is called the Lesser Three Gorges. The Da Ning River has not only the beauty of the Yangtze River, but also its unique characteristics. There are peculiar cliffs, Zhan Dao (plank roads along the cliff face) and stone villages. Dragon-like pillars tower like a gate on the banks of the Longmen Gorges; the Bawu Gorges have rocks of strange shapes and sizes; clear water sparkles; human-like, thing-like, animal-like stalactites form beautiful natural sculptures. Along the Di Cui Gorges, there are weird mountains and luxuriant bamboo. Sometimes the river runs like a sting sword, sometimes like a mirror. Monkeys jump up and down on the giant cliffs. |
| • Zigui |
 Zigui is situated on the northern bank of the Changjiang River and is the hometown of QuYuan, the great patriotic poet of the period of Warring States. “Shiji”, an ancient history book contains a passage that tells how the name of Zigui originated. The passage reads: “Qu Yuan had a kind and virtuous sister . On hearing that Qu Yuan was dismissed from “his post and had returned to his home town, she went to Qu Yuan to comfort him. She told him to be optimistic and understanding. The village folk hoped that Qu Yuan would listen to his sister's advice. They gave the place the name of Zigui, which in Chinese means ‘Sister Returning Home'”.
Qu Yuan, as vice-premier of the State of Chu, had enjoyed the confidence of the ruler. While in office he advocated drastic reforms in internal affairs in order to make his country prosperous and strong. He also favored forming a diplomatic alliance with the State of Qin against the State of Chu. Pro-Qin officials in Chu were bribed by Zhang Yi, an emissary from Qin. They managed to frame Qu Yuan and induce the ruler of the State of Chu to go to Qin, where he was held prisoner until he died. The prince who succeeded to the throne was more muddleheaded than his father. He banished Qu Yuan to a remote place south of the Changjiang and forbade him to have anything to do with state affairs. In 278 B.C. Qin captured the captured the capital of Chu. Qu Yuan, who had been in exile for 20 years, was then 62 years old. He was overcome with anger and sorrow at the defeat of his country and the suffering of his people. In despair he drowned himself in the Miluo River. The tragedy took place on the 5th day of the 5th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
For more than 2,000 years, the people have cherished the memory of Qu Yuan. They have woven many moving tales implying that he is living on. Every year on the anniversary of his death, people go out on the river in dragon boats a custom symbolizing their desire to rescue him. Every family makes zongzi, a kind of dumpling made by wrapping glutinous rice in broad bamboo leaves. They are supposed to feed the dragon in the river so that it will not harm Qu Yuan.
In 1953, the World Peace Council held a meeting in commemoration of Qu Yuan and three other cultural giants of the world. |
| • The Yangtze Three-Gorge Dam Project |
 The Three-Gorge Project is located at the east side of the Xilin Gorge, 38km east to the Gezhouba Dam.
The Three-Gorge Water Conservancy Project is a concrete gravity dam that has 3035m length and 18m height. Its reservoir is 175m high with water storage capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters, among which has flood storage capacity of 22.15 billion cubic meters. The silt-scouring sluices are built, some in the dam, some beneath the power stations, which can discharge a water volume of 2460 cubic meters per second. The spillway of the dam can flood discharge a water volume of 110,000 cubic meters per second. The generating units are Situated the either side of the spillway, which have 26 sets of turbo-generators, with a total installed capacity of 18 million KW to generate about 84.7 billion KWH of electricity a year. The navigation building at the left side of the dam has annual navigation capacity of 50 million tons, which the double-lane, five-step ship lock is capable of handling 10,000-DWT fleet, while the one-step vertical ship lift can handle the passage of 3,000 ton passenger or cargo ships.
Along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze there are some flood control works, but the Three-Gorge Project will be the most advanced. After its establishment, the dam can largely strengthen the flood control capability of the Jinjiang Diversion Project, accordingly the flood flow threatening the lower reaches of the Yangtze can be weakened considerably. The hydropower station of the dam will be the biggest one in scale when it is completed. With its large water storage, the would-be reservoir will facilitate navigation on the Yangtze between Yichang to Yibing, and be favourable for the growth of aquatic products.
With the dam built, the water level behind it will be raised by 110m, that of the Qutang Gorge and Wuxia Gorge by 38 and 46m respectively. Such historic spot has to be relocated as the Shrine for Qu Yuan (an ancient patriotic poet) and the Zhang Fei's Temple (an ancient hero), most of scenic spots and historic sites can stand aloft at the river banks.
With the navigation and transportation improved, more well-renown scenic places can be accessible, such as the Lesser Three Gorges, the Shenlongjia Forest Park, the Shenlong River, the Stone Forest at the Gezhoube River, etc.
Tourists visiting the Three Gorges will be tempted to include the Three Gorge Dam and the Gezhouba Dam in their itinerary. They will find these man-made wonders a feast to the eye and the imagination. |
|
|
