On the western precipice of the Dragon Gate Gorge (the first Gorge of the Three Little Gorges), 49 feet above the water level, are two horizontal lines of square holes. They are all that remains of the ancient plank road along the Daning River. Over 249 miles long, the Daning River section of the plank road is one of the longest anywhere.

The holes chiseled into the precipice are mostly square, eight inches wide, and12 inches deep. They are spaced 51-79 inches from each other. The holes are arrangedin two lines. The top line was used to anchor the support beams for the roadwayitself. The lower holes were used to hold diagonal beams to provide extra supportfor the roadway.

In fact, this plank road not only runs along the Daning River. It extends toZhenping County in Shaanxi, Xi County in Hubei, and Chengkou County in Chongqing.According to legend, the road was constructed in year 64 of Han Dynasty (206BC-220) for transporting salt water from Nichang Town (an ancient salt producingtown) to Wushan and other places. Also, according to legend, the road was usedduring war. However, exactly when it was built and what its original purposewas is still disputed by historians.