Qutang Gorge
The spectacular
Qutang Gorge is the shortest and narrowest of the three Corges (8km), but
it is by far the most perilous and dramatic with mountains overshadowing
the sky and rocks trying to check the flow of the water. The most outstanding
quality is its steep and strange-looking cliffs.
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Short as
it is, Qutang Gorge boasts more than ten scenic spots each having an anecdote
to tell. More noteworthy is the Mengliang staircase (carved by a bodyguard
of a murdered Song Dynasty official attempting to recover his master's
body from the steep cliffside).In one section of the cliff one can find
ancient coffins dating back 2,000 years which represents a traditional
burial practice in the past. The Stone Carving on the White Cliff, the
Fengxiang (Bellow) Gorge, and the Tiesuoguan pass are some of the other
famous tourist attractions. The town of Daxi in this section of the river
is one of the important cultural sites in China. In the 50s and 70s Chinese
archaeologists made three excavations near Daxi and found 208 tombs and
1257 relics of the Neolithic Age. These relics are identified to as early
as 4,000-6,000 years ago, showing that the Changjiang River is also the
cradle of the Chinese nation and the Chinese culture just like the Yellow
River. |
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