Yangtze River Cruises

Chinese sturgeon is a kind of large and rare economic fish which is called a live fossil.It could have originated from ancient fish living in the dinosaur age.In 1981,when the Gezhouba Dam was built,the passage to the Jinshan River, the habitual breeding ground of the fish, was blocked.Scientists of Gezhouba Engineering Bureau and the aquatic products department of Yichang City worked together to build a base for China Sturgeon to breed.They succeeded.It’s an efficient way of protecting and developing Chinese sturgeon and it has become a special tourist attraction.

It lies between Xiling mountains on the outskirts of Yichang ,10 kilometres away from the city.It faces to Xialao Brook and its back is the Yangtze River.It is not only precious and strange,but also quiet and tastefully laid out.

A story says that,in 819 D.C.,Yuanhe 19th year of the Tang Dynasty,the great poet Bai Juyi and his younger brother came cross another great poet Yuan Zhen.The three visited the cave together and they played there for the whole night.They said again and again that there was no place better than this fairy cave.Then Bai Juyi wrote the “Preface” to the cave.Thus the cave gained the name after the three poet travelers.

This is the early three visitors.After that the Three-Visitor’s Cave spread its beauty.In 1137 (the Song Dynasty), literary giants Su Xun,Su Shi,and Su Zhe visited the cave.Each of them wrote a poem carved on the stone walls.These three visitors are called the late three visitors.From then on,the cave had greater reputation.

Besides numerous writings by famous ancient scholars on the wall of the Three Visitors’ Cave,there are some relics on the top of the mountain,such as Liu Feng City,Zhang Fei’s battlefield platform.The Ancient Martial Rampart,Chucai Building,the Valley Pavilion and Zhixi Pavilion were rebuilt ones.Climbing up the building and looking to the west,one can take in the scenery of the Xiling Gorge at a glance.Looking to the east,one can get a bird’s eye view of the gigantic Gezhouba Dam.Seeing the Yangtze River flow eastwards and water connect with sky,one may easily get the feeling of “pleasure”.

It lies beside the National Highway No.318.And it faces Jingmen mountain of Yidu City across the Yangtze River.It’s the place that military strategists in ancient China strived to occupy.”The Battle of Xiaoting”, “The Battle of Jiangguan” and “the Battle of Ropebridge” all happened here.Today more than one hundred scenic spots have been built,such as Chusailou Building,Entertainment Barracks,War Drum Platform, Ancient Plank Roadway,Generals’ Statues of the Three Kingdoms,Yachts,spring and laser game-machine.It’s a scenic area that merges travelling,shopping,relaxation,dining and living into an integral whole.

Baima Cave is less than one kilometre away from the Three-Visitor’s Cave.It’s 1900 metres long.The entrance is on the cliff and it is so strange that there is a stream coming from the inside. Travellers have to take a boat to get in.At the beginning,the cave is quite narrow,but the deeper you get in,the wider it becomes. About 200 metres far,you will see the bank.The cave is divided into five layers which crisscross one another.On the first layer’s cliff, a group of white stalacities hanging like a white horse. It is said that, this is the horse who helped Tang Seng (a famous monk in the Tang Dynasty) to go on a pilgrimage for Buddist scriptures.This resulted in the name of the White Horse Cave.The exit is on the other side of the mountain,just facing the Three-Visitor’s Cave.

Changbanpo is an ancient battlefield relic of the Three Kingdoms.In the autumn of 208 A.D. during the East Han Dynasty,Cao Cao led his large land force advancing to the south. He himself pursued and attacked Liu Bei with 5,000 cavalrymen.Liu Bei couldn’t resist the army.He gave up Xingye County and was defeated at Xiangyang.When he escaped to Jingshan Mountain, he was surrounded by Cao Cao. He gave up his wives and fled with his people.At the critical moment Zhao Zilong (Liu’s general) found Liu Chan (Liu’s son) and fought against Cao Cao’s troops single-handed.He killed 50 enemy generals, and succeeded in saving Liu Chan.Cao Cao also sang high praise for Zhao. From then on, Changbanpo became a well-known place.In 1582, a monument was built with four Chinese Characters written on it, meaning “A Stately Appearance at Changbanpo”, but it was robbed of by the Japanese invaders.Now the monument in Changbanpo Park was a replica made in 1945.

The Qingjiang River was called Yi (Smooth and safe) Water in ancient time.It originates from the Xiaojia Pond at the foot of Qiyue Mountains,Lichuan City,Hubei Province and joins the Yangtze River in Zhicheng City.It is 423 km long,with a drainage area of 17000 km2.Its average gradient is 51.8%.Not only is it rich in water resources,but also have attractive scenery.Especially after the Geheyan Water Control Project was completed,the Qingjiang River in Changyang became a natural lake with a lot of tiny islands.Among these the Qingjiang Three Gorges are the most famous, attracting tourists at home and abroad.

The first gorge is called Pingluo Gorge,which is situated between the Geheyan Water Control Project and the Wuluozhongli Mountain,with the total length of 10 km.Because the Qingjiang River and the Pingluo Stream joins here,it was given the name the Pingluo Gorge,which is the longest one of the Qingjiang Three Gorges.In the river,there is a long island surrounded with water,which forms a natural wild zoo.

The second gorge is called Bashan Gorge,whose ancient name was Han Pass.It winds from the east of the gorge mouth in Duzhengwan,to the west of Xiwan in Machi,with the total length of 5km. The mountains along are high and steep.In the gorge there are Chessboard Cave and Bashan Cave, in which there are a lot of wonderful stones like  lion ,elephant, dragon and snake.

The third gorge is Banxia Gorge,which comes from Zhaolai Stream and runs into the Dragon Pool.The total length of the Gorge is 5 km.There are two unique hills in the gorge,one is elegant,the other is magnificent,like a close couple,thus it gained the name of Banxia Gorge.Besides this, there are other very interesting scenic spots like “Three Scenes of Banxia Gorge”－the first scenes is: Thin Knife Cliff;the second is Lion Cave;the third is the Hot Spring in the Salty Pool.

Located at the middle and lower reaches of the Qingjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, the Changyang Tujia Autonomous County is believed to be the birthplace of the Tujia ethnic group, whose population exceeded 8 million in the national census conducted in the year 2000.

The Qingjiang River, called Yi (smooth and safe) in ancient times, was named after its clean and pure waters.

With a total length of 425 kilometres, the river winds its way from west to east through Changyang for 148 kilometres. It originates from the Xiaojia Pond at the foot of Qiyue Mountains, Lichuan, in Hubei Province and joins the Yangtze River in the city of Zhicheng, Hubei.

It is called the “mother river of the Tujia ethnic group,” the origin of the ancient Ba people. The mountains here are lofty and rugged. The water looks dark green, the rocks appear fantastic and the woods are lush and luxuriant.

It is cool in summer and warm in winter. The enchanting scenery and rich Tujia ethnic culture have drawn many visitors from home and abroad to this southwest corner of Hubei Province.

The Gezhou Hydro Electric Dam (Gezhouba) is located at the lower end of the Three Gorges in the suburbs of Yichang City, Hubei Province, 38 Km from the Three Gorges Dam. This huge modern construction has become one of the important scenic spots in Yichang and over ten thousand of visitors come to visit each year.

The dam is 2.3 kilometers from Nanjin pass in Xiling Gorge narrows. After passing through Nanjin, the surface of the Yangtze River is suddenly enlightened, with the surface of the river widened to over 2200 meters from original 300 meters suddenly. The water of the river has been divided into three streams by Gezhou Dam and Western Dam of the river, called Big River, the Second River and the Third River from right to left, and only in flood period it discharges. Gezhou Dam ydro-junction project is built here.

Gezhou Dam project is mainly made of ship lock, power station, sluice gate, scouring sluice and check dam used for stopping water. The dam is 2595 meters long and its top is 70 meters high and 30 meters in breadth. The annual one-way shipping capacity of the navigation facilities is 50 million tons and the total investment was 4.848 billion Chinese currency yuan (US$0.557 billion). The project needs to dig out 113 million cubic meters of earth and stone. The total capacity of the big dam is 1580 million cubic meters, which controls dam drainage area of 100 square kilometers. When the big dam was completed, it went through the test of the biggest flood in 1981, which got 72,000 cubic meters per second, but it turned out to be safe and sound. It can also generate electricity. It has two power stations. One is in the second river and the other in the big river, with 21 generators which produce 2,715 million kilowatt. And its generated energy annually is 14.1 billion degree and it is one of the large hydroelectric stations all over the world. After completion of the Three Gorges Dam, the annual guaranteed output of electricity from the Gezhouba Hydro Power Plant was increased by about 430,000kw.

As a grand project which has attracted worldwide attention, Gezhou Dam’s floodgate is of great momentum when it discharges water and the bursting mighty waves and the sound of giant underwater are amazing. The environment of the floodgate is also very beautiful. Gezhou Dam, together with Three Gorges Dam, are must-see attractions in the Yangtze River cruise.

The largest river cruise ship ever built, the 416-passenger, 10,000-ton, 439-foot-long Victoria Jenna debuted for Victoria Cruises this September. The launch of this technologically advanced vessel, which will cruise China’s Yangtze River between Chongqing and Yichang, is yet another signal that river cruise ships are starting to catch up in style, sophistication, amenities and environmental applications to ocean-going vessels.

According to Victoria Cruises, Victoria Jenna is a trendsetter with a number of river cruise ship firsts: four elevators, two full-service kitchens, CDMA-based Wi-Fi, full bathtubs and high-tech toilets onboard. Its 208 all-balcony staterooms include 42 suites — more than any other river ship cruising the Yangtze River. Environmentally conscious cruisers will be pleased to note that the kitchen serves up grass-fed and hormone-free meats, and the ship employs green technology so it can have one of the best fuel-to-passenger ratios and reduce paper use onboard.

While Victoria Cruises may be striving for a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records with its new-build, other river cruise lines have been upping the ante with innovative new ships this year, as well. Boats that cruise Europe’s rivers have more limitations in size and girth (these must pass through innumerable narrow links and under many low-slung, ancient bridges). Even so, Uniworld’s new River Beatrice, which cruises along the Danube between Passau and Budapest, sports more junior suites than any comparable ship. Its all-suite River Tosca, which debuts in late fall with Nile River voyages, will feature 300- to 650-square-foot cabins with marble-floored bathrooms, as well as a swimming pool lined with cabanas and a rooftop bar. Viking River Cruises’ new ship, Viking Legend, employs the latest engine technology to ensure a quiet ride and use 20 percent less fuel. The ship also sports the largest suites on European river ships, with high-quality amenities, European linens and complimentary room service.

Not to be outdone, Avalon Waterways can boast the youngest river cruise fleet afloat with the debut of this year’s new ships, Avalon Creativity and Avalon Affinity. The line is particularly creative with new itinerary options, including short cruises, theme cruises and new pre- and post-cruise land extensions. AMAWATERWAYS is also pushing hard for new ships, with 2009’s Amadolce and Amalyra becoming the fleet’s fifth and sixth new ships in three years. Modern amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi and an in-cabin “Infotainment system” (an interactive TV with options for watching movies, surfing the Web and sending e-mail), and multiple fitness options (including a small fitness center, walking track and bicycles for passenger use). French balconies, now a standard feature on newer riverboats in Europe, are on more than 82 percent of cabins. And Tauck’s new Swiss Jewel (and siblings Swiss Sapphire and Swiss Emerald) boast such modern amenities as Nintendo Wii in the Lido Bar and an alternative dinner option.

You can find these new river ships sailing everywhere from the many rivers of Europe to the Yangtze River in China and the Nile River in Egypt. Better yet, the lines are enticing travelers, especially Americans, with special deals.

The Three Gorges Project, China’s massive multi-functional water control facility, cost 184.9 billion yuan (27.19 billion U.S. dollars) to build, which is within the budget, an official has said.

“The funds have been used efficiently,” said Lu Chun, deputy head of the office of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee under the State Council, or the Cabinet, while addressing a conference held Saturday in Chongqing. He didn’t elaborate.

The project began in 1993 at the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China’s longest, designed to tame the unruly river and to fuel China’s economic development with clean and cheap energy.

Its main works include a dam, a five-tier ship lock, and 26 of which are on the river banks and had all gone operational by October last year, with installed capacity totaling 18.2 million kw.

Plans were expanded further to include six more underground turbines by 2012, with a total capacity of 4.2 million kw. The first underground turbine will be operational in 2010.

Most of the major works have been finished. The project had generated 320.82 billion kw/hours of hydropower by late June, and sold 318.8 billion kwh of clean energy to state power grids which supply east, central, southern parts of the country.

According to Lu, 1.27 million people had been relocated by the end of June to make way for construction of the project, and the spending on arranging resettlement totalled 69.3 billion yuan.

An inspection panel, led by Chen Lei, minister of Water Resources, gave a license of approval for the project to store water to the designed level of 175 meters late last month, signaling the completion of the project.