Wu Gorge
As the most beautiful gorge of the three, Wu Gorge is famous for its picturesque scenery. Also called Daxia (Great Gorge), it begins at the Daning River in Wushan District and ends in Badong District, with a total length of 46 km.
Highlights of Wu Gorge
Wu Gorge is composed of Jinkui Yinjia Gorge and Tieguan Gorge. As peculiar peaks, characteristic rocks, as well as fog and clouds surround the gorge, it is usually the most notable among domestic and international tourists, like a zigzag art gallery. In addition to the main river, the gorge has many small clear streams worth a trip, such as Shennv (Goddess) Stream, Shennong (Agriculture God) Stream, Lianzi (Lotus Seed) Stream, etc.
Because the gorge is very long and deep, and the daily insolation is very short, which prevents the dispersion of airborne moisture within the gorge and therefore produces clouds and fog in a variety of forms fantastic. How wonderful it is!
The Twelve Peaks
Along the Wu Gorge there are twelve peaks on each bank. They are the most outstanding landscapes of the gorge. There are many legends related to the twelve peaks. The six peaks of the northern shore are:
- Denglong (Climbing Dragon)
- Shengquan (Sacred Spring)
- Zhaoyun (Facing Clouds)
- Shennv (Goddess)
- Songluan (Pine Cone)
- Jixian (Gathered Immortals)
On The Southern Shore Are:
- Feifeng (Flying Phoenix)
- Cuiping (Green Screen)
- Juhe (Gathering Cranes)
- Jingtan (Clean Altar)
- Qiyun (Floating Cloud)
- Shangsheng (Rising)
Among the twelve peaks, Goddess Peak is the tallest and most notable, where tourists can see beautiful red leaves in autumn. Whose graceful form resembles a girl looking down at the boats on the river.
Many mythological stories and countless poems have been written about this majestic peak. At the same time, as it is the first peak that welcomes the glare of the sun and bids farewell to the sunset, it is also known as Wangxia Peak (peak facing the glare of the sun).
The Daning River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, flows into the river from the western mouth of the Wu Gorge. The Little Three Gorges, located in the lower reaches of the Daning, are worth a trip. When sailing through the Three Gorges, tourists have an opportunity to see very spectacular historical relics such as wooden walkways built on the edge of the rocky mountain, suspended coffins and boat coffins. There is also a very famous historical relic in the gorge, the Kongming Stele, which is below Juxian Peak. Six Chinese characters are carved into the square white cliff in order to show how steep the Wu Gorge is. The characters are said to be those of the handwriting of Zhuge Liang (a celebrity of the Three Kingdoms Period).
As the water level rises due to the Three Gorges Dam project, more gorge scenes will be explored as attractions for tourists.
