Introduction
Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, Fengdu is an ancient city with a time-honored history, known as the 'Ghost City' to most Chinese people. It got its reputation as the 'Ghost City' in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 A.D. - 220 A.D.). Two officials from the imperial court named Wang Fangping and Yin Changsheng, got bored with the political life in the court and came to Mt. Minshan outside the Fengdu City to practice Taoist teachings. Both of them later became immortals by carrying out self-cultivation. This story widely spread and makes Mt. Minshan famous. When combined together, their surnames Yin and Wang, sound very much like 'King of Hell' in Chinese, hence the people began to call Fengdu the 'Ghost City'.

What to see there
According to superstitious legend, the dead come to Fengdu and the devils go to hell. Since Tang Dynasty, forty-eight temples have been built in the place, such as the 'Hall of the Jade Emperor', 'the Palace of Hell', 'Boundary Between the Living and the Dead', 'the Ridge of Helplessness' and 'the Balcony of Nostalgia'. All of the temples there look quite magnificent while statues are extremely lifelike.

Introduction
Shibaozhai, Literally means Stone Treasure Fortress, located in Zhong County at the south bank of the Yangtze River, 278 kilometers away from Chongqing City. It was first built in Qing Dynasty in 1750. Shibaozhai is one historical site that will have a new apperance in 2009. When the lake formed by the Three Gorges Dam is completed, most of this bluff will be under water and the temple will sit close to the lake's edge on a newly formed island. The wooden architecture stands on the riverside. It is built by catch upon a rectangular rock with sheer cliffs with a height of 56 meters and 12 stories. And every floor of the wooden structure contains interesting artifacts. Each of the 12 floors of Shibaozhai is dedicated to a famous general of the Three Kingdoms period (220A.D.-265 A.D.), a local scholar or a remowned Chinese poet.

Climbing the 12 stories is not as difficult as it may sound because you will need time to look at the paintings and sculptures on each level. Nowadays, it takes about 1.5 hours to climb from the pier to the top of Shibaozhai and round back from a back footpath. from our perspective, the statue enshrined in temple on the top flat looks not quite uniform, the reason local people enshrine GuanYu (who is known as military god in Chinese) in the first room of the temple is there was local troop gathered here, and in the second room, the Yu Huang and the baby-birthing god, maybe the enshrined statues are what the local people need most rather than what you seen in Fengdu.

What other to see
In addition to the murals, sculptures in the wooden architcture, the view of the river and the farms and village below is terrific. And there were two unusual interesting features of the Shibaozhai fortress. The first is the Duck Well at the top of the hill. Supposedly you can take a duck and drop it down the well and it will reappear swimming in the Yangtze far at the bottom of the hill. The Rice Flowing Well is the second feature. Legend has it that enough rice would flow out of the small well hole each day to feed the monks that lived in the temple and their guests. The "Stone Treasure" name is linked to this legend. However, one day a greedy monk chiseled a bigger hole in the rock, thinking he would get more rice. Of course, the rice flow ceased forever.

Introduction
Wanxian situates at 327 km away from Chongqing and 119 km from Fengjie in waterway. It has long history more than 2,000 years. Wanxian was once an important city in formal Sichuan Province, like Chengdu and Chongqing, and has been known as " a Gateway to Eastern Sichuan"- now part of the newly established provincial class city - Chongqing. And now it is still an important city and port along the Three Gorges area for the textile industry, the port and the local produce like oranges, tangerines, peaches, bamboo, lumber. The cruise ships from Chongqing always drop anchors at midnight here in purpose to enter into the Three Gorges at dawn next day. It is an opportunity to visit the night market and buy some local fruits with very low prices. A silk spinning and weaving factory (sometimes not available) and the museum with suspended coffins, an acrobatic show (not as good as the ones in Beijing and Shanghai, of course) are major items on the visit agenda.

What to see
The open markets, one of the city's ten free markets sells local produce and seasonal delicacies such as mountain mushrooms or live eels. Second Street (Er Main) is the main shopping thorough fare. Shengli Lu is a famous night market where Wanxian rattan and cane are sold. Handmade summer bed mats, fans, hats, straw shoes, furniture and baskets are traded roadside every night. It is a best place for you to gain bargain skills. Also you can have a try on some local snacks like spicy noodles and cooling soybean jelly and fresh fruit.

In 1983 a small workshop was set up to paint and varnish river stones from the Three Gorges and from the DaningRiver's Three Little Gorges. These make attractive mementoes and can be bought at the Arts and Crafts Store, in Third Street (San Malu).

Visitors may also visit silk-weaving and cane-furniture factories.

Other visitor sites include Twin-OsmanthusTemple, West Hill Stele Pavilion, Black Dragon Waterfall, etc.

During the Chinese traditional holiday - Spring Festival, the bright colored boat parade on the street is very popular. And it shows the importance of shipping industry to this city.

Yunyang County is situated on the north Yangtze River bank, 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Wanxian. The famous ZhangFei Temple is just on the opposite bank. Yunyang is famous for the salt industry. The Tang Dynasty poet, Du Fu fell ill while traveling through Yunyang and stayed for many months, recuperating and writing poetry.

Local products in Yunyang are various. Tung oil are in large quantity. The same are the goatskin used in treating wooden junks. Peach cake is a must. Its ingredient includes sticky rice, walnut and tutti-frutti. It has a legend that 400 years ago, a businessman from Zhejiang Province brought this tasteful cake.

Introduction
Zhang Fei Temple is located at Feifeng Mountain, the south bank of Yangtze River. It is 382 kilometers from Chongqing City and opposite to the Yunyang County.

Zhang Fei was the great general of Shu State during the Three States period (220A.D.-280A.D.). Together with Liu Bei and Guan Yu, these three people are sworn brothers and made the great achievement. He was famous for his bravery and loyalty. It was said that Zhang Fei was murdered by two of his subordinates named Zhang Da and Fan Jiang. Then his head was thrown into the river. A fisherman dreamed about Zhang Fei who told him about the murder. So he went to drag Zhang Fei's head the next day, however, he dragged a jar of golden ingots by accident. Then he used the money built a temple. According to the records, the temple was built during the late period of Han Dynasty, and has the history more than 1,700 years.

what to see
The temple was built to an exquisite complex leaning to the mountain. It was endowed with the magnificence of northern building and delicacy of the southern ones. It has been well known as the top historical and cultural spot in Sichuan.

Inside the temple there is a statue of Zhang Fei and hundreds of valuable cultural relics, including the stone carvings, wooden carving as well as the paintings and calligraphies. Among the seven main buildings, there two were built to memorize the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, who once lived here for two years. This makes the complex a rare temple to memorize the civil and military prominence at the same time. After the construction of the Three Gorges Project, the temple was wholy submerged by the rising water. Hence, an imitating new temple will be built on the south bank.

Introduction
Fengjie is a famous ancient town with a history of more than 2,000 years on the northern bank of the Yangtze River in the eastern part of Chongqing. It is the first city at the western end of the Yangtze Three Gorges and situated at the entrance of Qutang Gorge. Fengjie is situated in a dangerous terrain rarely seen anywhere else. The Yangtze flows to the east in front of it, and the rivers Meixi and Caotang flow into the Yangtze from the north. Chijia and Baiyan are two mountains that stand on each side of the river. So the inscriptions said " A natural barrier of Qutang", "Throat of Sichuan", "Feasting the Eye", "Watching the Waves", "Solemn and Mighty".

According to local annals, the site of Fengjie County had been moved five times from one side of the river to the other along the section of from today's Fengjie to Kui Gate. One of the sites still can be found near BaidiCity at the northern bank of the river. It is the site of the ancient Fengjie which was renamed from Yufu to Yongan during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). The county seat was moved westwards in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the present site, where it has remained ever since.

In the past, transportation was so poor that people had to carry things by shoulder or back faltering along the narrow stone paths. Fengjie has been greatly developed and it now has very good transportation and communication facilities on the river as well as over land. Ships from Fengjie go to all the ports along the river, and there are highways leading to Wushan and Enshi in HubeiProvince. And the development has made it possible for the agriculture and industry to grow rapidly. Fengjie abounds in day lily, shaddock, tangerine, orange, peach and loquat. When autumn comes, the ancient city is decorated with yellow tangerines and red oranges which present a lovely picture.


What to see
There is a great number of historical sites at Fengjie. In the city are the sites of the Yong'an Palace, where Liu Bei, emperor of the state of Shu in the Three Kingdoms period, entrusted his only son to his prime minister Zhuge Liang who was a legendary wise man (refer to "White Emperor City"); the tatched Cottage Temple, where Du fu, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, once lived in; the tomb of Madame Gan, wife of Liu Bei.

For the natural scenery, there are "Twelve Scenes of Fengjie" on either bank of the river. They include the "Eight-Unit Formation of Zhuge Liang", "Backwater of Yanyu", "Serried Hills at Baidi", "Glorious Sunrays on Chijia", "Morning Colors on Baiyan" and "Autumn Moon over the Gorge". All these natural scenes are composed of mountains and water, sun and moon.

Baidi City or the City of White Emperor is not a real city, but a mini city with some temples and gates on top of Baidi Hill in Fengjie County, located at the entrance of Qutang Gorge and 8 km from Fengjie County seat. Climbing over 500 steps, you can reach the top. It is the starting point of the Three Gorges and is most famous for Li Bai's great poem about the city written in the Tang Dynasty.

As another side trip of the Yangtze cruise we made a visit to the White Emperor City . It gained this name by an official who saw vapor in the shape of a dragon rising from a well. He took this as a good omen and declared himself as the White Emperor and this to be his city.

But this isn't what the city is famous for. Liu Bei, the emperor of the smallest kingdom (Shu) during the Three Kingdoms period, passed away here after losing a battle to the Wu Kingdom. Before he passed away he asked his prime minister (ZhuGeLiang) to take care of his son and look after his kingdom. ZhuGeLiang was very skilled and kept the kingdom together until his death but it fell apart after that. This is chronicled in a classic Chinese book on the Three Kingdoms.

White Emperor City lies at the west entrance to the QuTang Gorge. The view looking toward the QuTang Gorge is depicted on the back of the Chinese 10-yuan bill. When the Three Gorges Dam is complete the White Emperor City will be an island.

Most Yangtze River itineraries include a cruise on the Daning River through the Lesser Three Gorges . It is the main reason for making a stop at Wushan, a town surrounded by picturesque mountain peaks and situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

Wushan is one of the original locations of primitive civilization, having existed since the latter part of the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC). During the Warring States Period, (476 B.C. - 221 B.C.) the Wu prefecture was established here by the King of Chu. During the first century, the Buddhist faith reached China and many temples were built here; however, over the years, almost all the temples have been destroyed. During the Han Dynasty, agriculture and manufacture industry flourished. The town was named after Wu Xian, a successful doctor to the imperial court during the Tang Dynasty. He was buried on Nanling Mountain, on the south bank of the Yangtze River, opposite Wushan. During the Qing Dynasty, large numbers of refugees poured into the town due to the war.

The most memorable attraction is the climb to the summit of Mount Wushan (Witches Hill). From the summit the views of Wu Gorge and the river are spectacular. There is also Luyou Dong, (named after an official of the Song Dynasty), which has teahouses and ornamental pavilions.

Daning River Excursion - Lesser Three Gorges

This breathtakingly beautiful area has only been open to foreign tourism since 1985 and, for this reason, remains largely unspoiled. A day trip up the crystal-clear Daning River through its magnificent Three Little Gorges (Xiao Sanxia) - whose total length is only 33 kilometers (20 mile) - recreates the excitement and awe of bygone days of river travel in China.

Culture Heritage

At the nearby Wushan county seat, extensive excavations have revealed the fossils of Wushan Ape Man, who appeared about 2 million years ago. Wushan Ape Man is distinguishable from Peking Ape Man (excavated in Beijing), and Lantian Ape Man (excavated in Shaanxi Province).

Another tomb excavation from the Han Dynasty period has revealed mainly gold-plated utensils and pottery vessels.

Qutang Gorge The shortest of the Three Gorges (8 kilometers). It is considered the most dramatic by many visitors. The river navigates through the gorge's sheer, steep cliffs where the Meng Liang staircase from the Song Dynasty can be seen. It starts at the WhiteEmperorCity in the west and ending at Daxi Stream in the east with a distance of 8 kilometers.

Here the width of the river is reduced to 100-200 meters and the narrowest places are no more than a few dozen metros 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. The rolling and roaring river bursts through the rock gate that towers over the water.

Wu Gorge extends from the mouth of the DaningRiver in WushanCounty, ChongqingCity in the west to Guandukou in Badong County, Hubei Province in the east. Wu Gorge 44 kilometers long. The gorge is known for its deep valleys and forest covered mountains. Wu Gorge is a long and neat gorge divided into two sections - the Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge and the Iron Coffin Gorge.

Wu Gorge is full of zigzags, weird peaks, rising mists and beautiful sights. As the river cut through the WushanMountains, its roaring currents change their directions constantly. Travelling through the gorge in a boat, one sometimes may find the way blocked by mountains. But a sharp turn of the boat brings one to an area of entirely different scenery. It is the most beautiful part of the Yangtze, green trees and bushes, together with fogs and clouds, cover the high peaks.

The famous scenery are as the following:
TwelvePeaks on both banks of the river, in particular, are the most spectacular. These triangle-looking peaks described by legend as twelve fairy spirits, such as a fairy maid dancing, a dragon soaring into the sky, a peacock displaying its feathers or a piece of colorful brocade. The best -known is the poetic GoddessPeak, the graceful shape of which resembles a girl looking down at the boats in the river. Many mythological tales and countless number of poems have been written about this particular peak.

Wushan at the entrance to Wu Gorge and Badong and Zigui in the broad valley of the Fragrant Stream (Xiangxi) are famous towns in the gorge. There are many famous historical sites too. The town of Zigui is attracting a large number of tourists because it is the native place of the great ancient poet and patriotic politician Qu Yuan and the famous beauty Wang Zhaojun from East Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago.

The DaningRiver at the western entrance to Wu Gorge is flanked by continuous strange peaks, some of them rising into the clouds and presenting an unusual scene. The section of the river becomes known as the Lesser Three Gorges. Their nordinary beauty is so charming and it has been praised by more and more visitors.

Xiling Gorge extends from Badong County in the west to the Nanjin Pass in Yichang in the east, about 66 km long. It is the longest of the Three Gorges and is entirely within Hubei Province. This gorge is full of shoals and rapid currents. The most dangerous shoals are Xietan, Qingtan and Kong Ling, collectively known as the Three Shoals of Xiling. Among all the dangerous shoals, Qingtan Shoal and Kongling Shoal are the most famous.

Qingtan Shoal, stretched between "Tactics Books and Sword Gorge" and "Bull's Liver and Horse's Lung Gorge", including First Shoal, Second Shoal and Third Shoal, runs 1.5 km from west to east, teeming with reefs and convulsed with sweeping, boisterous rapids.

Kongling Shoal lies in the Miaohe section. The local people have always said: "Qintan and Xietan are not real shoals compared with hell gate of Kongling Shoal.

Many other scenic spots composed in Xiling Gorge, Bull's Liver and Horse Lung Gorge, "Tactics Books and Sword Gorge", and "Shadow Play Gorge", "Huangling Temple", "Three Travelers' Cave", "Horse Bell Rock", Mt. Qingshi (Black Lion) in Shipai Town, Three Swords Peak at Nantuo.

Introduction
Zigui is a county in Hubei province. It locates at the exit of Xiling Gorge, and the joints of the Xiangxi and Yangtze River. It was the hometown of Qu Yuan, a great poet and politician of the State of Chu in the Warring States Period (475-221 B. C.). Qu Yuan, as the story goes, threw himself into the river in order to protest against the tyrannical King of the ChuState. To memorialize him, a museum has been built outside the east end of the county seat. This structure was built during the Tang Dynasty (618--907). The stone figure of the poet is displayed here. Other spots include Qu Yuan Temple, Qu Yuan Tomb, etc. Anothrer way is to dropp zongzi, glutinous rice dumplings, into the water in the wish that fish would feast on the zongzi rather than on Qu. Over the years, this has gradually evolved into the Dragon Boat Festival with people eating zongzi on the day.

Today, the dragon boat racing and eating zongzi have been a tradition for worldwide Chinese people, and the people in the South East Asia.

Tourists will join a boat racing here when the ships stop at Zigui for shore excursions.

One may also take a dragon boat in the Fragrant Stream and see the native town of Wang Zhaojun (see "Xingshan County"), a famed beauty in ancient Chinese history, who was sent by the king to marry a Hun Chief to establish peace.

What to see
*Quyuan Shrine
Qu Yuan Shrine was built in memorial of the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan(339？BC～278？BC). It is situated at Xiangjiaping, 1.5km from Guizhou Town, the seat of Zigui County.In 820, the Qu Yuan Shrine was built at Quyuantuo, 2.5 km from the county seat. After that it was rebuilt many times. Because of the construction of the Gezhouba Water Control Project, the water level rose, the shrine was rebuilt at the eastern suburb of the county. The three Chinese characters "Qu Yuan Shrine "were inscribed by Guo Moruo (1892―1978, an outstanding contemporary Chinese historian, paleographer and play wright).

Seventy-seven kilometres upstream from Yichang City lies the mouth of the Xiangxi River on the north bank of the Yangtze. Nearby was Zhaojun's Hometown. In her hometown, there are many beautiful stories about Wang Zhaojun, one of the four Chinese greatest beauties. It is said once when Zhaojun was washing her face in the river, a string of pearls of her ornaments fell into the water. Ever since then, the river water carried the scent like that of perfume. Xiangxi River boasts the Peach Blossom Fish, a rare and protective species. Transparent and creamy coloured, it is shaped like an umbrella. Legend tells that, after a home visit, Zhaojun started on her trip beyond the Great Wall to be married to the Xiongnu chieftain. As she sailed along the river, her tears dropped into the water to mingle with the floating peach blossom and turned into beautiful fish. Wang Zhaojun was born in Baoping Village whose original name was Yandunping, or Wangjiawan, 5.5 km from Xingshan County. There are some sites in Zhaojun's hometown, such as Dressing Table, The Well of the Nanmu Tree, Zhaojun's Shrine, Zhaojun's Residence, etc. In 1979, Zhaojun's Residence was rebuilt.

*Jiangdu Temple
Jiangdu Temple used to be the place where the ancestors offer their sacrifices to the god of the Yangtze. It was originally built in Guilin valley, Xintan town, nearly one thousand year ago. The current structure has a history of more than 200 years. It was rebuilt in the year of 2002 on the top of Fenghuang (Phoenix) Mountain, new Zigui County. Jiangdu Temple is one of the typical examples of the local architecture which merges the north official architecture pattern and the south delicate workmanship together. It is seldom seen among the numerous cultural relics unearthed in the Three Gorges region.

The Lesser Three Gorges is one of the exciting and famous stops in the Yangtze Three Gorges. It is often called the "highlight" of the cruise, even the whole China trip. It always refers to the three separate valleys of the Daning River, namely "Dragon-Gate Gorge", "Misty Gorge" and "Dicui (Emerald) Gorge". These three gorges, with an area of 160 hectares of forest, lie on the lower reaches of Daning, extending from the entrance of the Dragon-Gate Gorge in the South to Tujiaba in the North for 50 km. Here sheer cliffs and steep mountains rise on either side, creating one of natural fine arts gallery as natural scenic wonders unfold on both banks of the river. Clear water flows between precarious precipices and peaks covered with green trees and bushes. Here you can board a small junk to enjoy the spectacular views and experience a water-borne sensation you never did before. Its "subtle mountains, clear waters, pretty rocks, dangerous rapids, sharp turns, fantastic caves, and stalactites in various shapes" characterize the natural landscape in the Lesser Three Gorges. Monkeys, mandarin ducks, water birds and fish can be seen in this area. In addition to the continuous natural scenery there are a number of historical places of interest along the way, such as suspending coffin, boat coffin, remains of ancient plank walkway. The area has been made one of the key nature reserves in China and is becoming known as a tourist attraction continuing to offer its charms.

If you like to explore the Lesser Thee Gorges, to embrace the nature. Take those ships which stop at here. You will find the photographs, articles, poems and draw paintings enthusiastically about here. There are other scenic spots include: Yinwo (Silver) Shoal, Stalactite Buddhism Cliff, Mianyang (Sheep) Cliff, White Dragon Crossing the River Waterfall, MaduRiver.

Shennong Stream is one of the most important ports of call for Yangtze Three Gorges tour. It is a 60-kilometer tributary of the Yangtze River, originates in the southern part of Shennongjia Natural Reserve and joins the Yangtze at Xirangkou in Hubei's Badong County. The crystal clear and unpolluted water flows swiftly. A tour by sampan is just like a shooting arrow. One exciting sport played here is "Gliding in Water". The section of the river earmarked for this game is twenty kilometers long and passes along the Mianzhu, Yingwu and Longchang Gorges. One rides a boat starting in a branch of the Shennong Stream and glides past the four-kilometer-long Mianzhu Gorge and then enters the main stream of the Shennong. The boat glides over the cobble-strewn river bed, its bottom often banging against the stones. It is not without risk yet exhilarating. It is thrilling to battle with the nature.

Drifting on the local "peapod", you'll be able to enjoy not only the beautiful scenery along the River, but also see cliff-wallows swishing in the air, groups of monkeys sporting among the trees, shoals of fish swimming in the clear water, as well as ancient coffins in the rocky crevices left by the Ba people, Shennong colorful pebbles.

It is newly opened to the outside world, and it has been considered as the highlight of the entire trip. Like the neighboring Lesser Three Gorges in WushanCounty, the ancient plank path runs along the river, mysterious ancient coffins suspended high on the cliff, wild monkeys running under the primitive trees and bushes. Dark green clear water, dark green trees, dark green mountains along the stream stretch and disappear into faraway.

The Shennong Stream fascinates the tourists with its special virtues of serenity, uniqueness, primitiveness and wilderness. Floating on a peapod boat, you can appreciate not only the natural scenes all the way, but also the joys and excitement in fighting the winds and waves.

Introduction
Badong lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze and to the east of the DabaMountains. The town is a strategic communication hub between Sichuan and HubeiProvinces, and is the main center for collection and distribution of goods from the mountain areas of western Hubei. The special local products of western Hubei, such as tung oil, raw lacquer, herbal medicines and animal skins, are shipped out either via the highway between Badong and Enshi or by the Yangtze River.

What to see
Some of the ancient structures are the Autumn Wind Pavilion, Pavilion for Encouraging Farming and Pavilion of Longevity and Peace, although unfortunately they are not all in good repair. A long canal has been built along the cliff diverting the waters from the Sourceless Cave, with some very attractive scenery.

The other scenic spot is the Gezi River S tone Forest, which lies in to the southwest of Badong. Each of the many fantastic peaks and grotesque rocks presents itsa unique shape, and tall, straight pine trees rise sheer out of verdant carpets of lush grass. More than thirty single peaks and seven caves are linked up by three meadows, four spots of "thread of sky" (extremely narrow passages between huge rocks, where only a streak of the sky iscan be seen), five "gates", six "tunnels" and eight deep "lanes". These all crisscross to makeform a great labyrinth of the whole place, which, together with the nearby Chuanxin Rock, and Nine Dragons Scene, etc, has formed combine to form the famous scenic spot of Gezi River Stone Forest, covering over 10 square kilometers.

Dam site is 27 miles upstream from Yichang City proper, at Sandouping Town, 38km upstream from the Gezhouba Dam Lock, inside the third of the Three Gorges. It is planned to be by far the largest hydroelectric project in the world. The Project calls for the construction of a concrete dam, a hydroelectric power plant and a series of locks just below the scenic Three Gorges region. The project is designed to be built in three phases and is scheduled for completion in year 2009. Upon arrival at Sandouping, passengers will take a bus across the Three Gorges Bridge, which leads toward the top of the hill for a birds-eye view of the construction from the observation deck. Visitors will observe the five-step ship lock, the diversion canal, the dam in construction, and the power station. English speaking professional guides will be on hand to provide detailed information on the history of the dam and facts on its construction. In addition, an exhibition room displays a model of the dam, and offers passengers another opportunity to ask questions and learn about the benefits of this amazing project. One of the largest construction projects ever undertaken in the world, the Three Gorges Project will forever change the face of the Yangtze River as we know it today. Possessing comprehensive utilization benefits mainly for flood control, power generation and navigation improvement. It will be a vital important and backbone project in harnessing and developing of the Yangtze River. Measures have been taken to preserve and move the historical and cultural relics found along its banks; however many scenic spots will be adversely affected. The most dramatic section of the river, what we refer to as "the heart of the Yangtze"-the area from the Three Gorges all the way upstream to Chongqing-will eventually be drowned by the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, an integral part of the Three Gorges Project.

The massive Gezhou Dam is located on the Yangzi River, northwest of Yichang. It is part of the Three Gorges Dam construction project, which is the largest hydroelectric project ever undertaken in China.

Gezhou Dam was completed in 1988 and is 2.6km (1.6 miles) long and 70 meters (230ft) high. The lake created by the dam is 32km (20 miles) long and has a total storage capacity of 1.6 billion cubic meters. A 2nd and larger Three Gorges Dam is under construction 30km (19 miles) upstream from Yichang.

Location: Longitude 110'15' E to 112'04' E, Latitude29'56' N to 31'34' Nin the east mouth of the Three Gorges

Neighboring Areas: Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces

Physical Features: higher in the west and lower in the east

Population: 3.92 million

Urban Population: 2.63 million

Area: 21,084 sq km

Nationalities: Han, Hui, Manchu, Miao, Tujia and Mongolian

History: with more than 7,000 or 8,000 years of history; called as "the throat of Chuan (namely Sichuan province) and E (namely Hubei province)"; in the Xia and Shang dynasties, used to be the ancient "lands of Jingzhou"; in Spring and Autumn Period, as well as Warring States, cortrolled by the Chu State, being called "the west frontier fortress of Chu" in history; one of the cradles of Chu Culture; called "Xiling" in remote antiquity; also known as "Yiling" for the Yishan Mountain in the northwest, "Xiazhou" for guarding the Three Gorges

Transportation and communication: Yichang arterial highways extend to every corner, No.318 National Highway crosses the whole Yichang City, through which you may reach Shanghai in the east and Tibet in the west. "The Golden Water Route" of the Yangtze runs through Yichang and it reaches Wanzhou, Chongqing in the west and Wuhan , Shanghai in the east. The express way is from Yichang to Wuhan, Beijing, Xi'an and the railway from Yichang to Zhenzhou, Wuxi, Huaihua, Guangzhou were put into use long ago and an international railway container transport network was also established. Air transport conditions are advantageous. Yichang civil airliners can fly to China's 23 large and middle cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen. The international temporary air-liners was opened, too.

Importance of Yichang: Yichang is where the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River are divided. Thanks to its advantageous geographic location, Yichang has been defined as a distributing center, an important trading port and a transportation hub along the Yangtze river linking west Hubei and east Sichuan since ancient times. For a very long time, it has been renown as "Gateway to the Three Gorges", and "Throat between Sichuan and Hubei". Today, Yichang remains a brisk river port of China, controlling the access to Chongqing to its southwest.

Climatic Features: in subtropical humid monsoonal climate zone, four seasons clearly demarcated; cloudy and sunny not certain in springs; with humid and hot summers; fine autumns; dry cold winters; with frost free period of 220- 300 days

Average Temperature: annual average temperature of 16C

Rainfall: annual even precipitation 1,100 mm; concentrated on June, July and August, as well as in spring

Mountains: Mt. Dasheng nongjia (with the highest peak of 3053 m), Mt. Wushan (with average height of 700-800m), Mt. Mingfeng, Mt. Guanmiao, Mt. Qingshan, Mt. Xiling

Rivers: Huangbaihe River, Qingjiang River, Juzhanghe River, Yuyanghe River, Jingjiang River and Xiangxi River

Formerly known as the famous city of Jiangling. Its ancient walled city was originally built during the Three Kingdoms Period. Many artifacts have been excavated from many tombs in this city.

Ancient City

In the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 B.C.) the city was the capital of Kingdom of Chu. Its earth-structure walls were firstly built in the third century ordered by Guan Yu, a hero of the Three Kingdoms era. Later in the Ming Dynasty, it was reconstructed with bricks and stones. The existing one is extended in the Qing Dynasty and known as the best preserved.

The solid rampart surrounded by moats boast as a iron-case with slab basements and bricks walls. Sticky rice poured into the crevice to reinforce solidity. Having been the capital of over twenty kingdoms, it has rich excavations of Chu Culture.

Jingzhou Museum

Situated in Jingzhou Zhong Lu, Jingzhou Museum was firstly built during the period of Kuaiyuan Reign of the Tang Dynasty. The history museum boasts a collection of over 100,000 relics concerning the 6000-year Chu Culture, which has 5 theme exhibitions on stone, pottery, bronze, lacquer ware and silks.

Exhibition Hall and Treasure Hall are worth a visit. Laid with green tiles and Chu-style decorations, there are rich collections of excavations. In particular an important collection of lacquer ware, 2,000-year-old silk garments and fabrics featured with exquisite patterns and an almost perfectly preserved male corpse of a Han-dynasty official, are exhibited. The embroidery clothing, polychrome brocades and silk ribbons are peculiar.

Introduction
Yueyang city locates on the south bank of the Yangtze and at the mouth of Dongting lake - the second largest fresh water lake in China. Dongting lake is a famous site which has received the visits of many great historical figures. Because of its location, Yueyang has long been a city of great importance and key transportation center of this region of Hunan province.

What to see there
Yueyang Tower is the most famous attraction, located on the east shore of the lake. Built 1000 years ago, eulogized with many poems in the history it turned out to be one of the most famous ancient towers along the Yangtze River. Climbing to the top of tower, one can have unsurpassed view of the great lake scenery.