Posts Tagged Xiling Gorge
Huangling Temple, Three Gorges tours
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 18th, 2009
The Ox figure
Huangling Temple (黄陵庙) is located in the middle reaches of Xiling Gorge on the southern bank of Yangtze River. Originally, known as Ox, Ox Temple or Ox Spirit Temple (Huang Niu means Ox), Huangling Temple is the only well-preserved ancient building groups. Among which, Yuwang Hall (禹王殿) is the center for commemorating legendary Da Yu (大禹) who made great contribution to the flood control in ancient China. However, the actual date of construction is unknown, and some archeologists think that it was built during the Han Dynasty, more than a thousand years ago. A large number of well-preserved important sites and real remains concerned with the catastrophic flood water level in Three Gorges area of Yangtze River. The invaluable stuffs and information helped the building the Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project and the Three Gorges Dam.
Huangling Temple
Huangling Temple faces Yangtze River directly and in China’s orange producing area; therefore, if you visit here in time, you may feel the orange fragrance in the courtyard. The temple is surrounded by high and verdant mountains. It is in old-fashioned architectural style with elaborate decorations and carvings. Entering the leading hall, Yuwang Hall, you see a wooden Da Yu statue with four-meter height. If someone is on their knees, the statue handled by the monks will stand up to return greetings automatically. It is fully expressing the advanced techniques in ancient China.
There are also lifelike statues of Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, the most mysterious man and thought to be the earthly immortal) and his young servants. At the backyard of Huangling Temple, some moist mummies are being collected. It is a traditional temple indeed without overcrowded visitors, nice place to visit.
Sanyou Cave Scenery
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 17th, 2009
- Sanyou Cave
Sanyou Cave (三游洞) is located 7 kilometers to the northwest of Yichang City. Sanyou is a huge cave on the cliff of the northern peak in Xiling Mountain. It backs on the Three Gorges of Yangtze River and mouth of Xiling Gorge. It is a famous place of interest and important site of protection and preservation. Since Tang and Song Dynasties, many famous Chinese writers and poets visited here Bai Junyi, Yuan Zheng, Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Che, to name a few. The well-preserved works contain more than a hundred wall inscriptions and stele carvings other than nearly 60 calligraphy works. They are highly worthy of artistic appreciation and historic value. It is also a revolutionary site. Before 1949, the Taoists in the temple near to the Sanyou Cave were the information tellers of Communist Party of China.
- Chinese inscriptions in the cave
The landscape in Sanyou Cave area is quite dangerous and it concaves, but it is mild in winter and cool in summer. The irregular rectangle cave is about 30 meters deep, 23 meters wide and 9 meters high. It was formed through long history of corrosion by underground water. The stony surface of a certain part in the area had later been collapsed. The geological age is from 500 millions to 600 millions years before present. Inside the cave, the rock surfaces are rugged or cracked, with many eye-catching patterns as well as interesting stuff, such as three stalactite columns, which seem with round cross sections but actually, they are not. They divided the spacious cave into front and back areas. The front is big with inscriptions of old poem on the wall and seemingly well illuminated, while the back is deep, cool and having a small passage that goes to outside. There is a rock bell hanging on the ceiling of the back space, you can hear the actual bronze bell sound if hitting by stone. In this location, you will also hear the drumming sound if you drop a rock onto the ground! Very interesting indeed.
Ticket: 48 RMB.
Transportation: Take bus No. 10 at Yichang’s Yuanjiang Avenue (沿江大道) Bus Station or take a mini bus there, you can get directly to Sanyou Cave area.
Xiling Gorge
Posted by act2009 in Three Gorges on June 9th, 2009
A magnificent scene in Xiling Gorge, Yangtze River, China
The longest among the Yangtze River Gorges, the 76-kilometer-long Xiling Gorge (西陵峡) stretches west to east from the mouth of the Xiangxi River (香溪河) at Zigui (秭归县, the hometown of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan) in Hubei Province to Nanjin Pass (南津关) near the city of Yichang. It is divided into two sections – the west section consists of the Military Book and Treasure Sword Gorge, the Bull’s Liver and Horse’s Lung Gorge and Kongling Mountain Gorge, while the east section features the Shadow Play Gorge and the Yellow Cat Gorge, which also known as Yichang Gorge. There are many archeological sites along this gorge, including the Huangling Temple, first built during the Three Kingdoms (220 AD – 280 AD). Additionally, the Three Visitors’ Cave and the Luyou Fountain all have their unique features.
Xiling Gorge is known for dangerous rapids and numerous shoals, the latter include Qingtan, Kongling and Xietan shoals. These formed out of fallen rocks from banks, boulders and sand washed down from the upper reaches, veins protruding from the riverbanks, or reefs jutting out of the riverbed. At some points there are treacherous whirlpools and the waters are extraordinarily turbulent. In the past, shipwrecks often happened. In the north of Qingtan Shoal, a small tower called White Bones, in which collects the bodies of dead sailors.
However, after many years of water management works and the completion of the Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project, the devilish rapids have been greatly tamed, but the beautiful scenery still.
The oddity of Bull's Liver and Horse's Lung Gorge, China
Not far to the east of the Military Book and Treasure Sword Gorge, a rocky cliff stands on the northern bank of the river with two stones in deep yellow color, of which one looks like a bull’s liver while another is like a horse’s lung, so it got the weird name – Bull’s Liver and Horse’s Lung Gorge. They are stalactites formed by calcium carbonate that underground water contains. Today the bull’s liver is still intact but the lower part of the horse’s lung has been destroyed by invading British navy in 1900.
The Shadow Play Gorge is clean, smooth on its cliff surface and without any bad-looking color, with fountains that crystal water flies down the cliff. It will be an overwhelming scene at a moonlit night to pass the gorge, the full moon shines the cliff and water, and they reflect the silvery lights. The Shadow Play Gorge is nicknamed “Full Moon Gorge”.
A large piece of stone that looks like an image of a man who is dragging an ox, so that the rock is called Ox Hill and the gorge gets the same name. The Ox Gorge is also has fast flowing water with dangerous reefs. In the past, boats were sailing very slowly to avoid accidents. After sailing for a few days, the sailors still could see the Ox Hill behind.
Xiling Gorge, Yangtze River, China
The Ox Gorge is in the valley with a division of cragged cliffs, which see the rapid-flowing water below. Nine falling ridges are going down from the cliffs to the water just like nine majestic dragons powerfully jumping into the water. Unlike the Shadow Play Gorge, the mountains along the Ox Gorge are very tall with rugged rock patterns. Fish and insect fossils found testify the million years’ geographical and ecological changes in the Three Gorges area.
The 5-kilometer-long Military Book and Treasure Sword Gorge is located in the western section of Xiling Gorge, Zigui County in Hubei Province. It has a very narrow waterway that the width is about 100 meters. It is said that Zhuge Liang, a legendary wise man from the Three Kingdoms Period, collected a book about military, under which a giant piece of stone that looked like a sword interposed the water.
Kongling Mountain Gorge (崆岭峡) is on the border of Zigui and Yichang Counties, with a dangerous shoal. Kong means a boat with windows. The rapids are deadly in this section, much sinisterly than the Qingtan Shoal, and heavy ships can hardly pass through.
Recent Comments