Three Gorges

The scenery of the Gorges was really beautiful and the early morning mist gave the place an eerie but not altogether unpleasant feel.

The first of the three Yangzi Gorges is known as the Qutang Gorge, which, at 8 kilometers long, is the smallest and shortest of the Three Gorges, but contains the fastest water. On the north bank are remains of Warring States Period peoples who buried their dead in coffins set in crevices in high caves along the riverside cliffs. Nine coffins discovered in such crevices include bronze swords and armor from the period. The cliff sides include square holes bored into the rock to hold support timbers for plank roads and scaffolds.

Wu Gorge (Wu Xia) is about 40 km long, with sheer, narrow cliffs on either side rising up to 900 m above the water and sometimes seeming to close over approaching boats. A nearby rock inscription is attributed to Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms period, and the Kong Ming tablet, a large inscribed rock slab at the foot of the Peak of the Immortals. A side trip leads to the Three Little Gorges (Xiao Sanxia) along the Daning River for 33 km, passing the Dragon Gate Gorge and remains of a Qing dynasty road cut into the cliffs.

Xiling Gorge is the longest and deepest of the three at 80 km, with cliffs that rise as high as 4,000 feet. It begins at the town of Zigui, known as the birthplace of the poet Qu Yuan of the late Warring States period (3rd century BC), whose suicide is commemorated by dragon-boat races throughout southern China. In former times this was the most dangerous gorge, negotiated only with arduous efforts by trackers on shore.