Geography 

The Three Gorges area in Yangtze River is one of the world’s largest canyons with magnificent landscape of waters and mountains. It is also known as one of China’s top 10 scenic spots, various sightseeing spots, magnificent rivers, towering mountains and natural attractions famed at home and abroad are available across the Three Gorges area, where starting from Baidi Town, Fengjie County in Chongqing to Yichang, Hubei Province. 

Three Gorges area is the essence of the Yangtze River scenery and the gem of mountains and rivers in China. The grandness of Qutang Gorge, the enchantment of Wu Gorge and the steepness of Xiling Gorge, and more flaring small attractions such as Daling River, Shennong Stream, Xiang Stream and so on in Three Gorges area will draw your eyes and soul tightly. In terms of geography, the Three Gorges area starts from Yichang city, Hubei Province, however in convention especially in tourism and cruises, Wuhan is considered as the starting point of the Three Gorges area. 

Cultural History 

The cliffs, hills, water and forest in the Three Gorges Area in Yangtze River had given a great inspiration to Li Po, China’s world-renowned poet from the Tang Dynasty. He left us a splendid poem on landscape of the Three Gorges area with a picturesque image to our generation. The Three Gorges area becomes the romantic and fairy place for living and travel. In the depiction of Qu Yuan, the Three Gorges area is a heavenly place filled with diversity of herbs and rare plants, which just can be seen exclusively in Heaven. The splendid culture of the Three Kingdoms, exquisite monuments and magnificent landscapes constitute this world-famous gold line for touring, it is also known as the first choice in sightseeing tour at home and abroad. 

In your travel to the Three Gorges area from Yichang to Chongqing, you could experience the nether world, earthly world and heavenly world in a very short period. The well-famed Fengdu Ghost Town, the stone inscription of Ghost King and the attractive scenery let you learn much of China’s culture from the underworld. The earliest water-inspection station of ancient China in Fuling. The Will of Liu Bei (famous Emperor in Three Kingdoms Period of China) in Baidi Town, Zhangfei Temple (one renowned general in Shu State in the Three Kingdoms Period, and he was sworn brother of Shu’s Emperor Liu Bei) in Yunyang. The Eight-Diagram Tactics made by Zhuge Liang (the smartest Taoist and Confucian in ancient China). 

Three Gorges area is also the home to China’s most famous and patriotic poet, Qu Yuan and Wang Zhaojun, one of four most beautiful women in China’s history. The “hanging coffins” on the cliffs is an enigma, the Goddess Peak is romantic and mysterious. More and more amazing discoveries and attractions hiding in the itinerary of Three Gorges area will surprise and excite you too much. 

Folk Customs 

The majority of people here are Han and Tujia nationalities. They both keep the strong local customs. The dragon-boat racing formally held in Three Gorges area annually is for memorizing patriot Qu Yuan. The special bamboo produces backpack-baskets. The wedding ceremony of Tujia ethnic group is particularly interesting that will make your Three Gorges unforgettable. Chinese sturgeon, a kind of rare fish in the world, can also be seen here. It is not surprise to see there are many trees or bamboos surrounding a house, because it may mean that there is a beautiful unmarried girl in this family. The Three Gorges folk songs are easy listening. 

Climate 

The average annual temperature in the Three Gorges area is 18.4 degrees Celsius. In January, the average temperature is 7.1 degrees Celsius and the mean temperature in July, 29.3 degrees Celsius, very hot and humid. The annual average rainfall is about 1,400mm in Three Gorges area and mostly fallen in July and August. These climatic features are not much different from the Sichuan Basin, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. However, because the deepness in valleys, the time of sunshine is short. In winter, the sunshine available is merely 2 or 3 hours at midday and only 5 or 6 hours in summer. 

Transportation 

Onboard a cruise vessel may be the best choice for a Three Gorges tour. By water from Wuhan to Chongqing via Three Gorges area, i.e., the upstream, is quite time-consuming, but visitors will have sufficient time to see the landscape on both sides of Yangtze River, and the cost is low and acceptable. If you are planning to visit Three Gorges in a reverse direction, from Chongqing to Wuhan, it will quite fast and the landscapes on both sides of Yangtze are all available, too. However, if you like to tour by bus, train or plane, the attractions in the Three Gorges area are difficult to be seen.