Module5ATripAlongtheThreeGorges

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XilingGorgeIntroduction

XilingGorgestartsatXiangXiandzigzagsfor76kilometres(47miles)downtoYichang.ItisthelongestandhistoricallythemostdangerousoftheYangtzegorges.Beforethepassagewasmadesafeinthel950,‘thewholesurfaceofthewaterwasaswirlingmassofwhirlpoolssuckingthefroththeycreatedintotheircenters’.XilingcomprisessevensmallgorgesandtwoofthefiercestrapidsinthestretchoftheYangtzebetweenChongqingandYichang.

Onenteringthewesternentrancetheboatpassesthroughthefour-kilometreLongMilitaryBooksandPreciousSwordGorge(BingshuBaojianXia).Thenameofthegorgereferstoastratifiedlayerofrockresemblingastackofbooks,andaperpendicularrockshaftbelowit,atasmallcaveonthenorthbank.Therearetwostoriestoldoftheseformations,bothconcerningheroesfromtheclassicalnovelRomanceoftheThreeKingdoms.

OnelegendhasitthatZhugeLiang181--234),militaryadvi5ertotheKingofShu,becameseriouslyillwhilepassingthisway.Unwillingtoentrusthisvaluablemilitarytreatisestoanymemberofhisentourage,heplacedthemuphereonthisinaccessibleledge,tobekeptsafeforlatergenerations.ThesecondtaleisalsoabouthugeLiang.ItwashewhodevisedthestratagemswhichenabledLiuBei,theking,todefeattheKingdomofChuandestablishthe,MinorHandynasty(AD22l--63).Afraidthathewouldeventuallyfalloutoffavor,ZhuGeliangretiredfromofficiallifeandwentintoseclusion,hidinghismilitarywritingsandswordhere.

Alargecleftrockstandsatthemouthofaravine--RiceGranaryGorge(MicangXia)--onthesouthside.Finesand,blownbyriverwinds,pilesupO.thisrock,andslowlysiftsthroughaholeunderneath.PeoplecallthisZhugeLiang’sGranary.

Furtheron,theperilousXinTan(newrapid)rushesoversubmergedrocks,theoilysurfaceofthewaterchurnedbywhirlpools.In1524,rockslidesfromthenorthernmountainsidecreatedthis,long,triple-headedrapid.Thefalloftheriverbedhadbeenestimatedatabout6metres(20feet),buttodayithasadropofonly2metresfeet).

WhenthewaterlevelwasLow,junkswouldunloadtheircargoandbehauledoverbyl00ormoretrackers.Passengerswouldjointheirboatbeyondtherapidafterwa1kingalongawanderingmountaintrackandpassingthroughthevillageofXintan,oncethesiteoftheWhiteBonePagodagiantpileofbleachedbones,whichwasallthatsurvivedofthemanythousandswhohadlosttheirlivesatthisfrighteningplace.Inl941thesteamboatMinxicametogriefandseveralhundredpeopleperished.TheswiftcurrentcarriedboatsdownriverthroughXinTanattherateof7metres(30feet)persecond.

In1854alocalmerchantcollectedsubscriptionsfromrivertradersandbuiltthreelife-savingcrafttopatrolthisrapid,andtosalvageboatsandsurvivors.ThiswasthebeginningoftheYangtzeRiverLifeboatOffice,whicheventuallymaintaineditsRedcoatsonallthedangerspotsalongtheChongqing--Yichangstretchuntilthe1940s.

Thechannelwindseastandthensouth,towardsOxLiverandHorseLungsGorge,daftertheyellowstalactiteformationsonthenorthside.Oneofthe‘Horse’sLungs’ismissing,blownupbyBritishgunboatsduringthereignofGuangxu(1875--l908).

InthemiddlestretchofXilingGorge,thestrangelylovelyKonglingGorgetowersabovetheiron-greenrocksofthelongKonglingTan,theworstofalltheYangtzerapids.Seventeencatastrophesinvolvingsteamshipsoccurredherebetweenl900andl945.Thelargerboulderschokingthechannelhadnamessuchas‘BigPearl’,‘Monk’sRock’and‘Chickens’Wings’,butthedeadliestofallwasknownas‘Cometome’.

AstheboatentersYellowOxGorge(HuangniuXia)--saidtolooklikeamanridinganoxthepassagewidensoutandsweepsundertheancientHuanglingTemple(HuanglingMiao)onthesouthface,nestlingamidorangeandpomelotrees.ThegreatpoetDuFuwroteofhisjourneythroughthisgorge:

ThreedawnsshineupontheYellowOx.

Threesunsets-andwegososlowly.

Threedawns----againthreesunset-

Andwedonotnoticethatourhairiswhiteassilk.

HuanglingTemple,saidtohavebeenfirstbuiltduringthespringandautumnperiod(770--476BC),isdedicatedtothegreatDayuwho,withhisye1lowox,controlledthefloodwatersanddugthegorges.ThepresenthallwasbuiltintheMingdynasty(l368--l644)andhousesastatueofDaYu,aswellasstoneinscriptions.ZhugeLiangisalsosaidtohavedugtheYellowOxSpring(orToadRock,asitissometimescalled)nearby.Itsclearwater,accordingtotheTang-dynastyBookofTeas,wasexcellentforthebrewingoftea,andYellowOxwasclassifiedastheFourthSpringunderHeaven.

AfteronepassesbelowHuanglingTemple,theBrightMoonGorge(MingyueXia)andtheLanternShadowGorge(DengyingXia)loomahead.ThelatterisoverlookedonthesouthSidebypeaksintheshapeoffourfiguresfromthel6th-centuryChinesenovel,PilgrimagetotheWest(alsoknownasMonkey).Whentheeveningsun’sraysfalluponthesepeaks,thefiguresdoappearlifelike--XuanZangstandingontheprecipiceedge;Monkey(SunWukong)peeringintothedistance;Sandy(ShaHeshang)cartingtheluggage,andPigsty(ZhuBajie)ridingahorse,allsilhouettedagainstthefadinglightlikecharactersinashadowplay.

ThelastofthesmallergorgesisYellowCatGorge(HuangmaoXia),sonamedfromtheyellowcat-shapedrockontheriverside.QiTaigongFishingisthenametoarockbesideacaveonthesouthface,becauseofitsfanciedresemblancetoabeardedoldmanwearingyellowtrousers.

Thevastconstructionsiteoftheworld’slargesthydro-electricproject,theThreeGorgesDam,offersthepossibilityofsidetripstoviewthelockandshipliftmechanismsandanexhibitionaboutthedam.Smallershipsdescendviathesinglestageliftandlargeronesviaaseriesoflocks--atotaloffivewhenthewaters