Qutang Gorge

Qutang Gorge is 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. Qutang Gorge starts at the White Emperor City in the west and ending at Daxi Stream in the east with a distance of 8 kilometers.

The width of the river in Qutang Gorge 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.

Although the Qutang Gorge is the furthest upstream of all the affected gorges, the impact of the Three Gorges Dam on the Qutang Gorge has been especially large. Many of the most famous and historically significant sites in the Qutang Gorge are located closer to the water level. In fact, even prior to the dam construction the water level would come close to many sites during the rainy season. The water has now effectively covered many of the most impressive and notable sites in the Gorge including the Ancient Pathway, Meng Liang's Staircase, the Chalk Wall, and the cave within the Bellows Gorge.

What to See

【Qutang Gorge】
Although Qutang Gorge is the shortest among Three Gorges, it is a wonderful natural landscape and cultural and art corridor. Kuizhou ancient city in the west of Qutang Gorge is center of the political, economic and cultural of Fengjie County today. The real site of Liubei entrusted his son to other people is shaded by ancient banyan tree, where shows how old was the ancient city; Yufu Pagoda, Dufu thatched cottage, and White Emperor City shows how profound its culture was.

【Kuimen】
Kuimen highlands, on either side of the south it was called "Baiyan Mountain", the north called "Chijia Mountain". The mountains sandwich river and face each other, and they rise straight from the ground and they are towering, majestic glory. The cliff is 500 meters high, river only hundreds of meters wide, but flow up to more than 50000 cubic meters per second. Because of the aqueous solution that containing iron oxide red adheres to the surface of weathering Chijia Mountain, the mountain stone is red, such as people topless, so named Chijia Mountain. Baiyan Moutain because of adhesion in aqueous solution on the rocks, mainly containing calcium and its color is like white salt, so named Baiyan Mountain (White Salt Mountain). In the bright sunshine, Chijia Mountain is slightly red, Baiyan Mountain is off-white.

Landscape

【Natural Landscape】
Roaring Yangtze River flow into the gorge and meet imposing Kuimen. Mountains and peaks on both sides of Kuimen are steep, they rise from the ground and makes surging river become a thin belt, winding in the deep gorge. River here only one to two hundred meters wide, the narrowest place is only tens of meters; And on both sides, the main peaks can be as high as 1000-1500 meters. Deep gorge, rush river and endless mountains here constitute a very magnificent picture.

【Human Landscape】
In the Yangtze River's Baiyan Mountain, there is a piece of palisades that has different color from other places, which is showing pink, so it is called pink wall. On the pink wall, there are famous characters carved on the Qutang cliff. Among these carved characters, the more famous or can the larger, people can clearly see there are two carved inscriptions from the ship. One was written by General Sun Yuanliang “warship passed by and see Kuimen is magnificent in the world", which showed the Qutang Gorge feature; the other one was written by the famous patriotic general Feng Yuxiang "step out of Kuimen and Mt.Wushan and beat the Japanese pirates" to encourage the anti-Japanese soldiers left Sichuan for war.

Though Qutang Gorge is the shortest of the Three Gorges, it offers a stunning combination of dramatic natural scenery and profound historical and cultural heritage. From sky-piercing cliffs to mysterious ancient ruins, Qutang Gorge presents one of the most fascinating chapters along the Yangtze River Cruise.

1. Kuimen (Kui Gate)
Kuimen is the symbolic entrance to Qutang Gorge, where the roaring Yangtze River narrows to only 100–200 meters between two towering cliffs — Chijia Mountain (north) and Baiyan Mountain (south). These mountains rise almost vertically, with peaks reaching up to 1,388 meters, forming a magnificent natural gate.

Chijia Mountain gets its name from its reddish hue, caused by iron oxide-rich water staining the limestone surface, resembling a bare back. Baiyan Mountain, on the other hand, appears pale due to calcium-rich deposits on its rock face, looking like salt spread over the stone.

2. Chijia Mountain (North Bank)
Apart from its striking appearance, Chijia Mountain is rich in cultural and historical relics. Key highlights include:

Laoguan Temple Ruins, Daxi Culture Site, and Wushan Ape Site, offering glimpses into early human civilization.

Ancient Beacon Towers, Chijia Pavilion, Historic Battery Sites, and the Ancient Plank Road, which once allowed travelers and goods to navigate the cliffs.

Bellows Gorge Hanging Coffins – Mysterious coffins placed high on the cliffs by ancient people, whose methods and motivations remain unsolved.

Looking up from the river, you can spot a suspended trail snaking along the cliffs, adding both visual drama and historical depth to the scene.

3. Baiyan Mountain (South Bank)
Baiyan Mountain features a number of remarkable cultural landmarks:

Meng Liang’s Ladder, an ancient plank road carved into the near-vertical cliff, partly submerged due to the Three Gorges Dam but partially restored in 2017 for public viewing.

Qutang Gorge Cliff Inscriptions, located on the famous “Pink Wall”, a large rock face displaying over a dozen inscriptions dating from the Song Dynasty to modern times. These carvings, in various calligraphic styles (regular, clerical, cursive, seal script), commemorate military and literary achievements. Notable among them are inscriptions by General Feng Yuxiang and General Sun Yuanliang.

Rhinoceros Looking at the Moon Peak and Ape Watching Peak, oddly-shaped rock formations that inspire mythical stories.

4. Ancient Plank Road Remnants
Built along sheer cliffs on the north bank, this ancient walkway once stretched 12 kilometers and served as a crucial transport route in ancient times. Though parts were submerged by rising waters, the restored sections now offer visitors a close-up view of the gorge’s rugged terrain and the engineering ingenuity of past dynasties.

5. Qutang Gorge Cliff Inscriptions
On the western face of Baiyan Mountain lies a striking pink-hued rock wall known as Fenbiqiang (Pink Wall), home to some of the most famous cliff inscriptions in the entire Yangtze River region. These stone carvings blend history, literature, and art, capturing the spirit of the times across centuries.

6. Hanging Coffin Relics
Perched high on the cliffs of Chijia Mountain, these relics are one of Qutang Gorge’s most mysterious sights. Suspended coffins were placed by ancient ethnic groups, possibly the Ba or the Tujia people. To this day, how they managed to position coffins in such precarious places remains an enigma.

7. Chijia Pavilion
Built in 1995 near the base of Chijia Mountain, Chijia Pavilion is one of the “Three Famous Pavilions of Fengjie County” (along with Qixing and Wangjiang Pavilions). Its strategic location makes it a perfect vantage point to admire the grandeur of Kui Gate and the entire Qutang Gorge.

Travel Guide of Qutang Gorge

【Best time to travel Qutang Gorge】 spring and autumn is the best season to travel

【How to get to Qutang Gorge】 taking high speed hovercraft from Chongqing Chaotianmen Dock to Fengjie New County for 7 hours, and then transferring to public bus to White Emperor City.