If we are traveling upstream along Yangtze River or Chang Jiang, Wu Gorge begins at Guandukou in Badong County (of Hubei Province) and ends at the mouth of Daling River in Wushan County (of Sichuan Province) with a total length of 44 km. Badong, Zigui and Wushan are among the popular towns along the stretch of Wu Gorge. Described by poets as a hallway of paintings, Wu Gorge is made of zigzags flowing water, weird looking peaks, floating misty sights and stunning green backdrop! When cruising through this gorge, you may find the view is blocked by gigantic mountains but just after a short and sharp turn, it will bring you to enjoy entirely different scenery. Bringing a camera along is not an option, it is a must! Personally I couldn’t help but just to keep clicking, clicking and clicking!!! I was hoping at the moment that time could just stop! Shadowing behind the white clouds, there are many interesting versions of legend or myth to explain how the peaks of Wu Gorge came into existence. The highest peak here which is also the most famous peak is Goddess Peak. One can recognize this prominent peak by the waterfall that spills gracefully down along her mountainside and once the sun shines, the sparkling view is stunning! A total of twelve splendid peaks occupy the Wushan Mountain Range here. If you notice a graceful shape of which resembles a maiden kneeling in front of a pillar, that is The Goddess Peak or Shennu Feng. She is believed to be the embodiment of Yao Ji, the 23rd daughter of Queen Mother of the West. A famous version of myths says Yao Ji was sent to oversee Jade Pool of Western Heaven and accompanied by 11 fairy maidens. Being lonely there, she explored the mortal world. Wushan by mountains and rivers turned out to be her favorite spot and later she established a small palace there. Apparently, one day upon Yao Ji’s return from Eastern Sea, she found that 12 dragons were making havoc and caused flood and hardship to the local folks whom were staying by the mountains and river. Then, she decided to summon Da Yu and endowed him with supernatural power to call upon the wind, rain, thunder and lightning to move the earth and thus enabling his ox to slash open the gorge and allow the water to flow into Eastern Sea as what we see today. Yao Ji and her 11 fairy maidens somehow vowed to stay on earth and eventually became the 12 sentinel peaks to guard this area against flood, dangerous rapid and accountable for the welfare of the folks here. This is merely one of the famous legends but of course there are many other versions out there! Another significant spot is Kongming Tablet which is located at the foot of Immortals Peak. It is a concave tablet engraved with six characters read as 'Mountains upon mountains in the Wu Gorge'. It was believed to have written by Zhuge Liang, who was also known as Kongming. Zhuge Liang (181–234 AC) was a renowned war strategist lived during the period of Three Kingdoms. He was the mastermind behind many battles. Holding a crane feather fan is the iconic association of Zhuge Liang and this was vividly portrayed the movie – Red Cliff, played by Takeshi Kaneshiro. A Chinese character that is admired by many until today, he was not only the most successful military strategist but also a brilliant scholar and an inventor of that era. Among his legacy strategy is using straw boat to borrow arrows. You got to watch Red Cliff I and II (directed by John Woo) – I simply love these movies! The video below captured the moment as we entered into Wu Gorge, recorded on 20 September 2007.
As time goes, the water level changes and the scenery will also be different. Hence, there is always something new to discover.
The pristine natural beauty, picturesque surroundings and many historical landmarks are conveniently located along the river side prove cradle of life begins here. Cruising along this majestic river of Yangtze somehow gave me a nostalgic feel that seems I was once live here long ago!
If you are looking to stay at this place you can try to do a Hotel Search
Majestic Wu Gorge (Wu Xia) along Yangtze | Pristine Natural Beauty
TrackBack URI for this entry
