Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Most morning boats moor for the night at partially inundated
Wanzhou
( also
called Wanxian). Travellers aiming to get from A to B as fast as possible while
taking in the gorges can skip the Chongqing to Wanzhou section by hopping
on a three-hour bus and then taking either the hydrofoil or a passenger ship
from the Wanzhou jetty.
Wanzhou to Yichang
Boats departing from Wanzhou soon pass the relocated
Zhang Fei Temple
(
Zhangfei Miao; admission ¥20)
, where short disembarkations may be made.
The ancient town of
Fengjie
, capital of the state of Kui during the periods
known as the 'Spring and Autumn' (722-481 BC) and 'Warring States'
(475-221 BC), overlooks Qutang Gorge, the first of the three gorges. The
town - where most ships and hydrofoils berth - is also the entrance point to
half-submerged
White King Town
( Baidicheng; admission ¥50)
, where the
King of Shu, Liu Bei, entrusted his son and kingdom to Zhu Geliang, as chron-
icled in
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
.
Qutang Gorge
( Qutang Xia) - also known as Kui Gorge ( Kui Xia) - rises
dramatically into view, towering into huge vertiginous slabs of rock, its cliffs jut-
ting out in jagged and triangular chunks. The shortest and narrowest of the
three gorges, 8km-long Qutang Gorge is over almost as abruptly as it starts,
but is considered by many to be the most awe-inspiring.
After Qutang Gorge the terrain folds into a 20km stretch of low-lying land be-
fore boats pull in at the riverside town of
Wushan
, situated high above the
river. Many boats stop at Wushan for five to six hours so passengers can
transfer to smaller tour boats for trips along the
Little Three Gorges
( Xiao
Sanxia; tickets ¥150-200)
on the Daning River ( Daning He).
