Qu Yuan Temple, the symbol of Zigui County in Three Gorges Area

Zigui (秭归) is located near the west mouth of Xiling Gorge of the Three Gorges, in western Hubei Province. It is said that the foundation of ancient Zigui County was made of the boulder, and the city looks like a gourd, so it is also known as Stone city or Gourd city. Zigui is a time-honored ancient town. It was formally established to be a county in the Han Dynasty’s China. Zigui area is the cradle of Chu (or Shu) culture in the Three Kingdoms Period. At the end period of Chu State, the great patriotic poet of China, Qu Yuan (屈原, 340 BC – 278 BC), was born here. His thoughts and poems played a key role in China’s cultural history. In fact, the name of Zigui County was originated from the story of the famous poet. It is said that Qu Yuan was exiled by King of Chu State due to slander, and his elder sister intentionally came back to see him, generally in southern China, she was called by her little brother as Zizi (姊姊) in dialect of southern China, and “归” (Gui) meant “return” or “come back”, therefore this place was called Zigui. Qu Yuan Temple is a symbol of Zigui and it is one of the main tourist attractions. 

Zigui is a main orange producing area in China

Having excellent natural environment, Zigui is the main producing region of oranges in Three Gorges area of China. Mineral resources are very rich too. 

Zigui is in a depression area of mountains of Daba, Wushan and Bamian. Yangtze River is flowing through the center of the county after passing Badong County in Hubei. The Zigui section of the river is 64 kilometers and it divides the county into south and north parts, where quite mountainous with a basin-like area in the county’s center. Two peaks, east and west, are 1,920 meters and 2,057 meters above sea level respectively, and the lowest point is 40 meters.

Build up area of Fengjie County, Chongqing

The ancient and rich cultural Fengjie County (奉节县) is located in the east of the Chongqing City, bordering the Wushan County to the east and Hubei Province to the south. It has a history of about 2,400 years. The county takes up an area of 4099 sq. km, a mountainous region, which about 88 percent of land is high ground. The highest point in Fengjie County is 2123 meters above sea level while the lowest is the 86 meters, where it is the gap of the Qutang Gorge, before the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, to which the water will be storing up here. 

The majestic Qiyao Mountain is divided by the great Yangtze River, so the famous Qutang Gorge is formed here. The farther from the river, the higher the elevation, and the craggy mountains and the big river make the scene so eye-catching. Fengjie’s climate is typically sub-tropical monsoon with high relative humidity and high summer temperature, but the higher the elevation, the lower the annual average temperature. 

Fengjie County is also known as the Poem City. Many eminent Chinese poets, such as Wang Wei, Li Po, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Su Shi (Su Dongpo), and Su Zhe had been there and they left many moving poems to chant the beautiful scenery of the county in Yangtze River.

Street scene in Wushan County

In the easternmost of Chongqing Municipality, there is the picturesque county with abundant historical heritage called Wushan (巫山县). It got the name from Wu Xian (巫咸), a famous royal doctor to Emperor Yao (尧) in ancient China. Wushan became a county about 2,200 years ago. It is at the center of the beautiful Three Gorges scenery and the Wu Gorge is located here. The rich tourism resources have made the county as one of the key tourist attractions of the Three Gorges area. “If I have experienced the beauty of the Wushan, there will be no other places can catch my attention.” This has always been an appropriate phrase to describe the enchanting beauty of the Wushan Mountain since old time.

The human fossils here are the earliest found in China hitherto. The relics of the “Wushan People” whose were living here about 2 million years ago, and the cultural heritage of from the New Stone Age, which flourished about 5,000 years before present are found. The old plank road built along the cliff in the Qin Dynasty, well-preserved Han tombs and the refined architecture from late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Majestic peaks and ancient pavilions, which some Chinese odes and chants praised as well. Furthermore, natural mineral and agricultural resources are rich too.

The old stone carving of three Chinese characters “Bai He Liang” (白鹤梁, literally “White Crane Tablet”) is located in the upper reaches of Yangtze River’s Three Gorges Dam in northeast Fuling city in Chongqing. It is the only state key cultural protection ancient hydrological station and UNESCO praised as the best-preserved ancient hydrological station in the world. 

The giant tablet has a length of 1,600 meters and 15 meters width. It only appears above the water in dry season in Yangtze River, i.e., December to March. It is said that in the Tang Dynasty a man had diligently cultivated himself in religion and eventually attained spiritual enlightenment, he sat on a giant crane and flied to the heaven, therefore the stone got its name. 

In addition to the three big Chinese characters, there are many articles about ancient hydrological facts and beautiful fish figures carved on Baiheliang, to which they documented the water level of ancient Yangtze River and old fine arts. In 1974, the Chinese delegation presented “Fuling Stone Fish Inscriptions” (涪陵石鱼题刻) to as they attended the International Hydrological Services Conference in Paris. The scientific value of the ancient relics has been recognized internationally. The beautiful stone inscriptions are copied to Fuling People’s Square that give people an opportunity to see the cultural heritage conveniently. 

Opened on May 18, 2009, Baiheliang Underwater Museum is an important part of the protection of the old cultural and scientific heritage. It comprises four parts, Underwater Museum, Transportation Corridor, Mound for Anti-collision Underwater and Exhibition Hall on Land. Baiheliang Underwater Museum actually looks like a protective shell for the Baiheliang stone tablet. State-of-the-art lighting facilities are installed in the underwater crystal palace, in which you can walk and view the giant Baiheliang stone tablet by operation a video camera in different angles.

Yichang city

In southwest Hubei Province, Yichang city (宜昌市), originally known as Yiling (夷陵), where the Yiling Battle, one of the famous wars fought during the Three Kingdoms Period, took place. In 222 AD, Sun Quan (孙权) of Wu (吴) State and Liu Bei (刘备) of Shu (蜀) State disputed over the strategically important land of Jingzhou area (荆州, in south-central Hubei). At first, Sun Quan’s army occupied Jingzhou. The move had a negative impact to Zhuge Liang’s plan (he was the wise man in Shu State at that time), which was good for Liu Bei to unify China. Jingzhou was an essential land for him to destroy Shu and Wei (魏, where controlled by Cao Cao, 曹操) States, so he must recaptured the area. However, he failed because his army managed to capture Jingzhou in a hurry without adequate preparation. 

Yichang has 2700-year history also the cradle of ancient Ba culture and origin of Shu culture. It is the hometown of Qu Yuan (屈原), a Chinese great patriotic poet. Qu Yuan lived in the Warring States Era over 2,000 years ago, and he was suicide for his motherland invaded by other stronger power. 

Three Gorges scenery in Yichang

It is the hometown of Wang Zhaojun, who married Hun Khan in exchanging for peace and stability. It is also the destinations of many famous scholars, litterateurs, artists, poets and ideologists, who once indulged themselves in the city’s beautiful scenery. Yichang was once the place for exiling demoted officials. If you are interested in Peking Opera, you will find more specific images or characters in the story performed on stage. Yichang is undoubtedly one of the best tourism cities in China today. 

Yichang is located in the middle reaches of Yangtze River, where also known as the golden waterway, Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway, No. 318 National Expressway are all going across the city. It is an increasingly important position for land and water transportation. The world-famous Three Gorges Project is so near to downtown. It is the second largest city in Hubei Province after Wuhan, the provincial capital. Yichang has an area of 21,000 square kilometers with a total population of 4,149,300. 

Yichang is in subtropical monsoon and humid climate zone with four distinct seasons. Rainwater is rich especially in summer, which is very hot.