Wuxia Gorge

Brief Introduction of Wuxia Gorge

The Wuxia Gorge is named after Wushan Mountain. The beautiful gorge runs 46 kilometers from the mouth of the Daning River in Wushan County, Chongqing, to Guandukou in Badong County, Hubei province, with the Bianchengxi serving as the dividing line between Chongqing and Hubei.

Wuxia Gorge is the second part of Three Gorges. This part is well-known as quiet, peaceful and gracefully beautiful. There are steep hills and cliffs on both bank of the river. Green trees, springs and waterfalls are the best ornaments of this painting-like gorge.

As the water level rises due to the Three Gorges Dam Project, more scenes in the Wuxia Gorge will be explored as attractions for tourists to visit.

Scenic Spots of Wuxia Gorge

There are many scenic spots in Wuxia Gorge, including natural and cultural.

Twelve Peaks of Wuxia Gorge

Along the Wuxia Gorge, twelve peaks are the best attractions to tourists. On the northern bank of this part of the Yangtze from west to east stand six peaks, Denglong, Shengquan, Chaoyun, Shennu, Songluan and Jixian; on the southern bank only three are visible to the passenger on a ship, Feifeng, Cuiping and Juhe, while the three other peaks, Jingtan, Qiyun and Shangsheng ate hidden behind the mountains as they stand a little way off from the Yangtze River.

Denglong, 1,210 meters above sea level, is the highest peak among them, while the 940-meter Qiyun is the lowest. The 940-meter Shennu, or the Goddess peak, is also known as Greeting the Rosy Clouds peak, because its column-like top seems always to be greeting the rosy clouds both at sunrise and at sunset.

Shennu Peak is named the Goddess Peak because of a beautiful fairy tale, which says the Goddess had fallen in love with King Xiang of the state Chu, and they enjoyed their meeting in Wushan Mountain, and in his dream the king was told by the goddess that she would appear as the cloud at dawn and as rain at sunset. As the Wuxia Gorge is long and the valley deep,and so the area is crowded with piles and piles of mountains and peaks, and so the area is very often shrouded in mist or a curtain of rain. Therefore,the clouds and rain of Wushan became the theme of many poems and paintings in Chinese history.

Three Terraces and Eight Sceneries of Wuxia Gorge

There are many scenries and historical sites in Wuxia Gorge. Besides Twelve Peaks, there are Three Terraces and Eight Sceneries. Three Terraces are Chuyang Terrace, Shoushu Terrace and Zhanlong Terrace. Eight Sceneries are Night cruising on Ninghe River, Fishing on Green Creek, Dusk Rain of Yangtai, Spring Morning Glory of Nanling, Rosy Clouds at Sunset, Autumn Moon on Cristal Lake, Buddhist Temples on Hills and Loyal Wife Stone.

Kongming Stele of Wuxia Gorge

On the cliff of Jixian Peak, there is a white smooth cliff wall carved with fifteen large Chinese characters "The Wuxia Gorge is layers upon layers of mountains and peaks, which are famous for their magnificent scenery, the twelve peaks of Wushan Mountain." It is said that these characters were written by Zhuge Liang (Kongming), prime minister of the state of Shu.

After the completion of Three Gorges Dam Project, the Kongming Stele under the water level will be moved to another place.

Lesser Three Gorges of Daning River

Daning River flows into the Yangtze River from the western mouth of Wuxia Gorge. It is the largest tributary of the Yangtze. The Lesser Three Gorges located at the lower reaches of Daning River are worth a visit by tourists. When drifting along the Lesser Three Gorges, historic relics such as the ancient plank road, suspending coffins, and the boat coffins can be viewed.