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The Wu Gorge is the second gorge of the Three Gorges of Yangtze River and is famous for its elegance. Winding over 25 miles, it starts from the estuary of Daning River (east of Wushan) in the west and ends at Guandukou in Badong, Hubei Province.

Also called Da Xia (Large Gorge), the Wu Gorge is comprised of Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge (Jinkui Yinjia Xia) and Iron Coffin Gorge. As strange peaks, grotesque rocks as well as fog and clouds surround the gorge, it is usually the most notable of the three gorges. Because of the long and deep canyons in the Wu Gorge, the daily period of sunlight is short which impedes the dispersal of air borne moisture within the gorge and so creates clouds and fog in a variety of fantastic shapes. How wonderful it is!

Twelve Peaks: Along the Wu Gorge, there are twelve peaks on each bank. These are the most prominent aspects of the scenery of Wu Gorge. Many legends relate to the twelve peaks. The six peaks along the northern bank are Denglong (Climbing Dragon) Peak, Shengquan (Sage Spring) Peak, Zhaoyun (Facing Clouds) Peak, Shennu (Goddess) Peak, Songluan (Fir Tree Cone) Peak, and the Jixian (Congregated Immortals) Peak. The southern bank has Feifeng (Flying Phoenix) Peak, Cuiping (Misty Screen) Peak, Juhe (Assembled Cranes) Peak, Jingtan (Clean Altar) Peak, Qiyun (Rising Cloud) Peak, and Shangsheng (Rising) Peak; the last three are not at the riverside. Among the twelve, the Goddess Peak is the highest and most notable. As it is the first peak to welcome the sun's glow and says farewell to its afterglow, it is also called Wangxia Peak (Looking at the Sunglow peak). There are some popular legends relating to it that are worth knowing.

Three Little Gorges of Daning River: Daning River flows into the Yangtze River from the western mouth of Wu Gorge. It is the largest tributary of the Yangtze. The Three Little Gorges located at the lower reaches of Daning River are worth a visit by tourists. When drifting along the Three Little Gorges, historic relics such as the ancient plank road, suspended coffins, and the boat coffins can be viewed.

Also in the Wu Gorge Section, there is the historic relic - Kongming Stele. The stele is beneath the Jixian Peak. On the quadrate white cliff, six characters have been carved. According to legend, the characters are those of Zhuge Liang's handwriting (a celebrity of Three Kingdoms Period).

As the water level rises due to the Three Gorges Dam Project, more scenes in the Wu Gorge will be explored as attractions for tourists to visit.

Sightseeing List:

Three Little Gorges
Ancient Plank Road along the Daning River
Ancient Town of Dachang
Boat Coffins
Little Three Gorges on Madu River
Longgupo Pithecanthrope Site
Luyou Cavern
Suspended Coffins
Wushan Man

Goddess Peak (Shennu Feng)

Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge (Jinkui Yinjia Xia)

Yangtze River

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  Scenic Spots by Ports

     Chongqing
     Fuling
     Fengdu
     Zhongxian
     Wanxian
     Yunyang
     Fengjie
     Qutang Gorge
     Wushan
     Wu Gorge
     Badong
     Zigui
     Xiling Gorge
     Yichang
     Jingzhou

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