WuXia Gorge

The WuXia Gorge is the second gorge of the Three Gorges of Yangtze River and is famous for its elegance.

 

WuXia Gorge is forty-five kilometers long, extending from the mouth of the Daning River in Wushan County, Chongqing City in the west to Guandukou in Badong County, Hubei Province in the east.

 

Also called Da Xia (Large Gorge), the WuXia Gorge is comprised of Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge (Jinkui Yinjia Xia) and Iron Coffin Gorge. As strange peaks, grotesque rocks as well as fog and clouds surround the gorge, it is usually the most notable of the three gorges. Because of the long and deep canyons in the WuXia Gorge, the daily period of sunlight is short which impedes the dispersal of air borne moisture within the gorge and so creates clouds and fog in a variety of fantastic shapes. How wonderful it is!

 

Twelve Peaks: Along the WuXia Gorge, there are twelve peaks on each bank. These are the most prominent aspects of the scenery of WuXia Gorge. Many legends relate to the twelve peaks. The six peaks along the northern bank are Denglong (Climbing Dragon) Peak, Shengquan (Sage Spring) Peak, Zhaoyun (Facing Clouds) Peak, Shennu (Goddess) Peak, Songluan (Fir Tree Cone) Peak, and the Jixian (Congregated Immortals) Peak. The southern bank has Feifeng (Flying Phoenix) Peak, Cuiping (Misty Screen) Peak, Juhe (Assembled Cranes) Peak, Jingtan (Clean Altar) Peak, Qiyun (Rising Cloud) Peak, and Shangsheng (Rising) Peak; the last three are not at the riverside. Among the twelve, the Goddess Peak is the highest and most notable. As it is the first peak to welcome the sun’s glow and says farewell to its afterglow, it is also called Wangxia Peak (Looking at the Sunglow peak). There are some popular legends relating to it that are worth knowing.

 

Three Little 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 Three Little Gorges located at the lower reaches of Daning River are worth a visit by tourists. When drifting along the Three Little Gorges, historic relics such as the ancient plank road, suspended coffins, and the boat coffins can be viewed.

 

Also in the WuXia Gorge Section, there is the historic relic - Kongming Stele. The stele is beneath the Jixian Peak. On the quadrate white cliff, six characters have been carved. According to legend, the characters are those of Zhuge Liang’s handwriting (a celebrity of Three Kingdoms Period).