Posts Tagged chongqing
Fengjie County
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 29th, 2009
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.
Wushan County
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 29th, 2009
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.
Baiheliang and Underwater Museum
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 25th, 2009
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.
Fengdu – China Ghost City
Posted by act2009 in Tourist Attractions on June 23rd, 2009
Located on the northern bank of Yangtze River’s upper reaches in Chongqing Municipality, Fengdu (in Chinese called 酆都 before 1949 and now 丰都) is a city made famous by the ancient legends of sinister spirits and terrible ghosts that are the essential ingredients in traditional Chinese culture. Of course, human beings fabricated those ghost legends and the hellish atmosphere is man made too. Therefore, Fengdu is China’s ghost city.
By human’s imagination, the Chinese built the Hell Emperor Hall, the Gate of Hell, the Realms of Life and Death, the Eighteen Levels of Hell and so on according to some earthly laws that punish people who have done evils. In the hellish scenes, the gestures and expressions of the ghost figures are very strange, fierce and even horrible. Also, the tools for hell punishment are so terrible. One has the feeling of fear in seeing these stuffs. This is the hell scenery of Fengdu city. When you enter the city through the great gate, you will see the Bridge of Life and Death, which is the must-go passage that people will return to earth from hell. Arriving at the lower mountainside, seeing an ancient house, with three giant Chinese characters – “鬼门关” (The Gate of Hell) in bloody-red-like color background of a plaque. Tianzi Temple on mountaintop is the largest temple there.
Moreover, the Palace of the Ghostly Nation and the Hellish Street in the downtown are all concerning the old stories of ghosts. Traditionally, Chinese think that after people passing away, their souls must visit Fengdu. They are to be judged by the Hell Emperor whether they are good or evil and he will decide where will be the proper place of transmigration for them. If people have done evil during their lifetime, after their death, they will be tortured in hell, and then their appearances will become so terrible. The sinister spirits will come out at night and they will scare the people who did wrong in the daytime.
Don’t be afraid. Apart from the sinister scenes in Fengdu County, it still has beautiful scenery, good-listening sound of flowing streams, brilliantly colored flowers at mountainside and birds’ flying. From Third to Fifteenth Days of the Third Month of Lunar Calendar every year, a temple fair is held. It is rich in ethnic cultural characters and beneficial to local businesses. The fair also adds joyful atmosphere to sinister face!
Shibao Stockade Village
Posted by act2009 in Tourist Attractions on June 17th, 2009
Magnificent architecture
Shibao Stockade Village (石宝寨) is one of China AAAA scenic areas and one of the state’s cultural protection units, located in Yuyin Mountain of northern bank of Yangtze River in Zhong County (忠县), 278 kilometers apart from downtown Chongqing. It stands out as a high hill that looks like a blunt sword extending up on the flat ground. It is said that in ancient times Nv Wa (女娲), who was the creator of human beings, resided here to make colorful stones by casting fairy spells to repair the broken sky. She left a piece of rock. Locals regarded this was the treasure stone, so Shibao meant treasure stone.
It has a tower with 12 floors, of which the top three levels were added in 1956. The tower is made of wood with a height of 56 meters. Its architectural style and surroundings make it looks like a heavenly building. Hence, it is taken as one of world’s eight architectural miracles.
The village was built in the Ming Dynasty about 400 years ago. Tan Hong’s Uprising (谭宏起义) in late Ming Dynasty took this as their base. Therefore, the name of Shibao came from this. Shibao tower is one of several high wooden buildings left in China nowadays; also, a typical and symbolic building characterizes China’s southern folk architectural techniques. In 1979, the village was opened to tourists for sightseeing purposes. Climb to the top of the Shibao tower and command the panoramic view of the majestic Yangtze River will be an overwhelming travel experience.
Great view of the majestic Yangtze River
During the climbing, you will see stone carvings, painted images and poem inscriptions, all about ancient Buddhist religion. On the top, 1,200 square meters of area and 230 meters above sea level, you may feel like you are in a paradise. Just see the clear sky above and you will forget what you are.
The ancient temple carved the images of Nv Wa repairing the sky story. In the backyard of the temple, a large piece of stone with a hole which size looks like a common cup. It is said that after building the Buddhist temple, the stone hole would flow out some amount of rice, which was for daily meals of monks resided in the temple. It was also called the stone of treasure. However, some greedy monks made the hole bigger by digging. The Buddha punished them and the hole was no longer to provide rice. Therefore, greedy is an evil.
Three Gorges Museum
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 15th, 2009
Night scene of the Three Gorges Museum
The Three Gorges Museum is in the western part of Chongqing People’s Hall, also called Chongqing Museum. It is public premises for the long-term preservation, history education and scientific research in respect of cultural relics and the natural environment of Chongqing and the Three Gorges. The exterior of the museum has cambered walls and vitreous dome, representing the historical culture of Three Gorges and their origins. In addition, there are large-scale bas-reliefs, bronze sculptures and the Ecological Corridor that is one kilometer in length (about 1,094 yards).
The museum is a part of the huge project of the Three Gorges Dam, where there are 1,087 relic sites to be submerged in water. China’s 68 scientific institutions have been excavating heritage and researching the sites in the Three Gorges area for ten years. They have successfully completed 338 archeological projects and made many discoveries. All the invaluable relics are carefully moved to the exhibition halls in the Three Gorges Museum. The staffs in the museum compiled and categorized these archeological discoveries, and then made volumes of catalogue for the convenience of scientific research and public easy access.
The Splendid Three Gorges reflects the history and culture in the area, Far-Ancient Ba Yu introduces the origin of local history, The Urban Development of Chongqing demonstrates the transitional process of Chongqing and Anti-Japanese Days tells the stories occurred during the war in China between 1937 and 1945.
Sculptures of ancient Yangtze people
There also are other six specialized exhibitions, Paintings and Calligraphies in Different Historical Periods, The Currencies in Different Periods of Chia, The Sculpture in Han Dynasty, Cultural Relics Donated by Mr. Li Chuli, Minority Nationality Custom in Southwest China, and Ceramics in Different Periods of China. The Three Gorges Museum has the Round-screen Cinema that shows the natural landscape and people’s daily life in the Three Gorges area before the construction of the dam. The Semi-scene picture “Big Bombing in Chongqing” represents the five years’ continuous bombing in Chongqing as the temporary capital of China during World War II. The museum equips an International Academic Hall, an Audience Activities Center and three temporary Exhibition Halls that enriching functions for social service as well.
Qutang Gorge
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 8th, 2009
Qutang Gorge, China
Qutang Gorge (瞿塘峡), also known as Kui Gorge (夔峡), runs eight kilometers from Baidi city in Fengjie County in the west to Daxizhen in Wushan County, Chongqing Municipality. Although this is the shortest gorge among the three, it is nevertheless the most spectacular. As soon as the roaring Yangtze River rushes into the gorge, it meets head-on with the imposing Kuimen Gate. Mountains rise perpendicularly like walls on both sides of the river squeezing the broad surface into a narrow ribbon threading its way along the gorge. Here the width of the river is reduced less than 200 meters and the narrowest spots are no more than a few dozen meters across while the principal peaks on the banks rise up to 1,500 meters. The turbulent water flowing in the deep valley, which has a continuous line of peaks erected along make for a spectacular vision.
Kuimen, Qutang Gorge, China
There are many historical sites in Qutang Gorge. On a hilltop of the north bank sits the town of Baidi city, where boasts of many rare relics. On the south bank are the pink Whitewashed Wall covered with carved inscriptions, the legendary Meng Liang’s Ladder, the Upside Down Monk, Amour Cave and the sweet-tasting Phoenix-Drinking Fountain in a deep cave. Also on the south bank, not far from downstream, is a very strange-looking peak standing by the river; it is called the Rhinoceros Watching the Moon because it looks like a rhinoceros. Moreover, outside the Qutang Gorge, there is the site of Da Xi Culture Heritage, where archeologists will find interesting.
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