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Three Gorges

Scenery along the Yangtze River.The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and third longest in the world, next only to the Nile in northeast Africa and the Amazon in South America. Originates in the Kunlun Mountains in western China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yangtze River snakes its way for 6,300 kilometers (about 3937 mile) through nine provinces (Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu) as well as the city of Shanghai, and finally reaches its mouth in the East China Sea.
 
The Three Gorges, as the grandest and most impressive section of the Yangtze River, extends 193 kilometers from the western Baidicheng in Sichuan Province, to Nanjinguan of Yichang city in Hubei Province in the east. It consists of three sections, namely, Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge and is one of the top 10 tourist spots in China
 
Qutang Gorge  The Qutang Gorge is the shortest and most spectacular of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.     
Wandering eight kilometers from Baidicheng in the west to Daxizhen in WushanCounty, ChongqngCity, Qutang Gorge is the shortest but the most spectacular one among the Three Gorges. The most spectacular sight of Qutang Gorge is Kuimen (Gate of Kui), which has been marveled as "the most dangerous pass of the world." As soon as the roaring Yangtze River rushes into the gorge, it meets head-on with the imposing Kuimen Rocky mountains rise perpendicularly like walls on both sides of the river squeezing the broad river into a narrow ribbon threading its way in the gorge. Here the width of the river is reduced to 100-200 meters and the The Qutang Gorge is the shortest and most spectacular of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.narrowest places are no more than a few dozen meters while the principal peaks on the banks are as high as 1,000-1,500 meters. The turbulent waters flowing in the deep gorge along a continuous line of peaks make a most magnificent picture.
 
Qutang Gorge boasts not only its splendid scenic spots but also its historical sites. There are most ancient Baidicheng Town (White King Town), the dangerous Tie Suo Guan (Iron Chain Pass), the breathtaking Ancient Plank Roads and the mysterious Fengxiangxia (Bellow Crevices) on the north bank, and Fenbi Tang (Chalk Wall), the Phoenix-Drinking The Wu Gorge is the second gorge of the Three Gorges of Yangtze River and is famous for its elegance.Spring, Meng Liang Ladder, and Daodiao Heshangshi (Hanging Monk Rock) on the south bank.
 
Wuxia Gorge    
Wu Gorge, as the second gorge of the Three Gorges, strikes the people with its depth, serenity, remoteness and unique beauty. Wuxia Gorge is 45 kilometers long, extending west to east from the mouth of the DanningRiver in WushanCounty in Chongqing to Guandukou in Badong County, Hubei Province. The Gorge is flanked with towering peaks and steep cliffs. “The TwelvePeaks" of Mt.Wu is towering and graceful and is the highlight of this gorge.
 
Xiling Gorge        
Xiling Gorge is the longest and historically the most dangerous of the Yangtze gorges.Xiling Gorge is the last but longest gorge of the Three Gorges. It stretches west to east for 76 kilometers from the mouth of the XiangxiRiver at Zigui to Nanjinguan in Yichang, Hubei Province. It consists of four smaller gorges called Military Books and Sword (Bingshubaojianxia), Bull's Liver and Horse's Lung (Niuganmafeixia), Kongling, and Lantern Shadow (Dengying).
 
Xiling gorge is known for its dangerous rapids, sharp turns, and numerous reefs and shoals. The Qing Shoal, Xie Shoal, Marvelous works of the nature!Kongling Shoal used to be the most dangerous shoals in the navigation history of the Three Gorges. These shoals were formed out of fallen and rock from banks, boulders and sands washed down from the upper reaches, veins protruding from the riverbanks, or reefs jutting out of the riverbed. The construction of the Gezhouba water control project has helped calm the torrents but the charms of the scenery remain the same.
 

The world's largest hydropower Project the Three Gorges Project and the largest hydropower Project in China the Gezhouba Water Control Project are both built near YichangCity. The Gezhouba Dam and the Three Gorges Project Dam with the beautiful Xiling Gorge in between forms an attracting scenery area featuring nature beauty, human civilization and urban sightseeing.

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