到巫山，還能游什么？

到巫山，還能游什么？

到巫山，不僅能完美體驗(yàn)長江三峽的美妙景致，或泛舟小三峽，或眺望神女峰，或與漫山遍野的紅葉親密接觸，還能游覽眾多別致的景點(diǎn)，令你流連忘返。

梨子坪森林公園

云點(diǎn)巫山洞壑重，參天亂插碧芙蓉，可憐十二奇峰外，更有零星百萬峰。巫山是全國生態(tài)文明示范縣，全縣森林覆蓋率高達(dá)55%。巫山森林密布，植被良好。近年來，巫山持續(xù)深入開發(fā)森林旅游，讓沉睡在大山深處的優(yōu)質(zhì)資源逐步被激活。

巫山梨子坪森林公園地處長江以北，距縣城45公里，幅員面積達(dá)7萬畝，林場動(dòng)植物資源豐富，有植物183種，其中國家級(jí)保護(hù)植物有紅豆杉、連香樹、領(lǐng)春木、中華獼猴桃、櫸樹等；有陸生野生脊椎動(dòng)物110余種，包括北鯢、鬣羚、麂子、野豬、紅腹錦雞、雉雞等。其中，國家級(jí)及市級(jí)保護(hù)動(dòng)物有紅腹錦雞、紅腹角雉等。

當(dāng)陽大峽谷

攝影/譚艷

當(dāng)陽大峽谷由巫山小小三峽的上游平河大峽谷、里河大峽谷以及蔥坪高山濕地公園組成。它南起平河風(fēng)情小鎮(zhèn)，北倚神農(nóng)架大九湖，是連接巫山小三峽、小小三峽、大昌古鎮(zhèn)與大九湖濕地公園、神農(nóng)架、三峽大壩“渝鄂金三角”旅游的重要通道。

新建的當(dāng)陽大峽谷旅游公路總長約50公里，首段長20公里，沿平河大峽谷河床修建，直達(dá)當(dāng)陽風(fēng)情小鎮(zhèn)，沿途從谷底仰望高崖翠壁，享受親水樂趣。第二段長約10公里，由當(dāng)陽風(fēng)情小鎮(zhèn)盤旋而上到達(dá)當(dāng)陽鄉(xiāng)忍子坪，沿途欣賞峽谷田園風(fēng)光。第三段長約20公里，從忍子坪出發(fā)，穿越崇山峻嶺，猶如崖壁棧道，直達(dá)大九湖濕地公園，沿途可欣賞群峰擁翠、山巒疊嶂的恢弘氣象。此外，由當(dāng)陽場鎮(zhèn)有旅游公路往蔥坪濕地公園，由當(dāng)陽大峽谷公路可致里河風(fēng)景區(qū)和干龍洞。

當(dāng)陽大峽谷景區(qū)集峽谷、溪流、瀑布、溶洞、草場、田園風(fēng)光于一體，峽谷幽深神秘，兩岸山峰奇異，分布著轎子石佛像崖、當(dāng)陽關(guān)、旗幟山等極具特色和令人震撼的景觀。蔥坪濕地公園是重慶市保存最為完好的高山濕地草場，公園面積近15萬畝，森林、草場，濕地以及大小不一、星羅密布的湖泊共同構(gòu)制出驚人的美麗。里河更是山高谷深，天開一線，狹窄悠長，干龍洞石筍造型奇特令人贊嘆。

九龍谷景區(qū)

巫山九龍谷景區(qū)與小三峽緊密相連，景區(qū)內(nèi)有高約60米的圓形石柱，峰腳九個(gè)石頭整齊排列，狀如九龍，惟妙惟肖，九龍谷因此得名。九龍谷集溪澗、溶洞、瀑布、巖穴等各類景觀于一體，群峰連綿，植被茂盛，游人徜徉其間，盡享回歸自然之樂。位于巫峽南麓的“巫峽十二洞”，洞徑幽深曲折，千奇百怪的石鐘乳密布其間，堪稱“萬里長江第一洞”。

巫山博物館

巫山歷史文化悠久，境內(nèi)有“204萬年前的村寨”--龍骨坡巫山人遺址，“5000年前的部落”--大溪文化遺址，巫山因上古“十巫”而得名，楚設(shè)巫郡，為楚國西部屏障，秦置巫縣，隋朝設(shè)巫山縣歷朝沿革至今。

巫山博物館建于神女大道西側(cè)，是巫山縣城的標(biāo)志性建筑。館藏商周以來出土文物4萬余件，被錢偉長先生贊為“國之瑰寶”。特別是漢晉出土的文物十分豐富，對研究三峽地區(qū)經(jīng)濟(jì)和社會(huì)發(fā)展具有重要意義。

龍骨坡“巫山人”遺址位于距巫山縣城西南約60公里的廟宇鎮(zhèn)，是全國重點(diǎn)文物保護(hù)單位。龍骨坡文化代表了204萬年前一種混沌初開的石器工業(yè)。

大溪文化遺址位于瞿塘峽東口的大溪鄉(xiāng)，發(fā)掘研究成果表明，這里距今約五千余年，是原始社會(huì)后期母系氏族公社新石器時(shí)代人類的聚居點(diǎn)。

巫山古鎮(zhèn)

長江三峽第一古鎮(zhèn)大昌古鎮(zhèn)與小三峽景區(qū)內(nèi)緊密相連，是三峽庫區(qū)僅有的保存最為完整的明末清初的古建筑群，距今已有1700多年的歷史，占地約十公頃，有“一燈照全城，四門可通話，堂上打板子，戶戶聽得見”之說，被游人譽(yù)為“袖珍古城”。城內(nèi)房屋青磚黛瓦，封火墻垛，飛檐翹角，雕梁畫棟，木質(zhì)門面，無一不閃現(xiàn)出一種自然的華美，一種古樸的輝煌。

龍溪古鎮(zhèn)位于巫山縣北部，水路由巫山縣城沿小三峽、大昌古鎮(zhèn)上行3小時(shí)可達(dá)，陸路由巫山新城沿福田鎮(zhèn)至巫溪方向兩小時(shí)可達(dá)。龍溪鎮(zhèn)歷史上是大寧河水運(yùn)的重要中轉(zhuǎn)站，被譽(yù)為“小上?！?。因此聚集了大量清末至民國時(shí)期的古建筑，風(fēng)格各異又相互融合，絕大部分至今保存完好。街道沿河而建，蜿蜒盤曲，透露出寧靜古樸的風(fēng)味。最具特色的是龍溪街道墻壁上各個(gè)歷史時(shí)期的口號(hào)標(biāo)語乃至物價(jià)廣告清晰可變，走入古鎮(zhèn)街道猶如穿行在不同的歷史時(shí)空，深受驢友稱贊。

鄉(xiāng)村田園風(fēng)光

隨著現(xiàn)代交通的發(fā)展，隱藏在大山深處的巫山美麗鄉(xiāng)村風(fēng)光逐漸展示在人們眼前。巫山縣以官渡鎮(zhèn)為代表的江南菜花，遍布平壩、丘陵、山坡，極具觀賞性和震撼力。巫山曲池鄉(xiāng)3萬畝果園成片發(fā)展，綿延十里，桃李競妍，被譽(yù)為三峽最美花果鄉(xiāng)。森林中的土家風(fēng)情小鎮(zhèn)紅椿，一座座土家風(fēng)味建筑排別具風(fēng)味，夏季涼爽的氣候以及濃郁的土家民俗、美食讓游人流連忘返。

攝影/丁坤虎

本組圖片由巫山旅游局提供

In August this year， the list of Most Beautiful Places in China 2015 was released. The Yangtze Gorges region was on he list as one of the most beautiful gorge areas.

“The Three Gorges are amazing in the world； you are welcome to visit here.” That's to say， what the most beautiful area of Yangtze River is the Three Gorges area.

The Yangtze River， known as the longest river in China and the third-longest in the world， is only shorter than the Nile River in Africa and the Amazon in South America. It covers 6，300 kilometers from the Roof of the World—Tanggula Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， with trunk stream lowing across 11 provinces （municipality or municipality directly under the central government） such as Qinghai， Tibet，Sichuan， Yunnan， Chongqing， Hubei and Shanghai， thus getting the name of “Ten Thousand Miles Long River”.

Along the Yangtze River， the scenery is beautiful and charming. The Three Gorges are the golden parts of Yangtze River and the famous gorge sightseeing scenic spots in the World. The Three Gorges spans from White Emperor Town in Chongqing Fengjie County eastward to Nanjin Pass inYichang city， Hubei province. The Yangtze Gorges region has a total length of 193 kilometers. From west to east， the three gorges are respectively Qutang Gorge， Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. Many steep and sharp mountains stand oppositely on both sides.

The Yangtze Gorges region is one of the most beautiful scenic spots in China. The scenery there is well-known in the world， like a Chinese ink painting full of poetic beauty.

The Three Gorges are the wonders of nature like a series of grand symphonies. It is the pride of Yangtze River and the Chinese People are proud of such wonderful scenery.

Wushan Small Three Gorges Photo by Wu Jianbo

The charming scenery in the Three Gorges is beyond description and if you visit there， you will have a profound experience and never forget it. It is a really desirable place for you to relax yourself and enjoy the marvelous scenery when you have time to escape from the noisy world.

Wushan， A New Tourist Harbour City Photo by Ding Kunhu

Wushan Mountain is famous for Wuxian who was monarch Yao's imperial physician in pre-Tang Yao times. During Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods， it served as a prefecture for Chu State. In Qin and Han dynasties， prefecture was transformed into county. Back to 2290， it was named Wu County. In the third year of Sui Dynasty， Wu County was renamed as Wushan County.

Wushan Mountain is located at the heart of the Three Gorges reservoir area. The Yangtze River runs through Wushan County， from Qutang Gorge eastwards to Wu Gorge. The beauty of Yangtze River lies in the Three Gorges； the beauty of the Three Gorges lies in Wushan Mountain.

Wushan Mountain has many gorges and mounts. Its geographical feature has been described as “connecting great mountains and rivers”. The Yangtze Gorges， Small Three Gorges and Goddess Peak were praised as China's wonders and world's best scenery. Towering Wushan Mountain， Qiyao Mountain and Daba Mountain are intertwined， supporting the vast land of Wu Gorges. In the past， the surging Yangtze River runs violently， but today it fl ows peacefully from the west to the west.

Goddess Peak in Wushan

With a long history and splendid culture， Wushan County was the place where east Asians began over 2.04 million years ago. Poems such as Gaotang Fu and Shennv Fu respectively represented Wu culture and Ba-Chu culture. Nature， history and culture are interconnected closely， forming the rich tourism resources. “A river of clear water， green mountains standing along the banks， distinct seasonal scenery， old towns and long history” is the general summary of the rich tourism resources in Wushan. Today，it has become a well-known scenic resort in the world.

If you want to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Yangtze River， you cannot miss the great scenery of Wushan Mountain.

Now， with the construction of Three Gorges Project， Wushan County has turned into a new immigrant city surrounded by mountains and waters. She faces Yangtze River in the south and Daning River in the east， thus creating a vast land of 12 square kilometers. This is the picturesque harbor city.

Goddess Peak in Wu Gorge： the lncarnation of Wild and Strong Love

Wu Gorge is the second gorge of the Three Gorges system on the Yangtze River. It stretches 45 km from Guandukou in Badong County to Daning River in Wushan County.

The Wu Gorge is famous for its beautiful，deep and serene scenery in the world. It has long and deep gorge， towering mountains and winding rivers， creating a gallery full of clouds and fog， boats and poetic scenery. “A river cuts through thousands of mountains， forming a magnificent scenery ” is the real description of the Wu Gorge.

“When you travel in the Wu Gorge， you will fall in love with her”. The twelve peaks on both sides of the Yangtze are located in the east of Wushan County. Each side has six mountains away from the city about 10-30 kilometers.

Of the twelve peaks， the Goddess Peak is the most handsome one. Located in the north of the Wu Gorge with a height of 912 meters， it is 20 kilometers away from Wushan County. A stone pillar of 10 meters stands on the top like an innocent， slender and graceful lady. When the sun rises up and goes down， the mountain is surrounded by mist， clouds and sun glow， making a charming and lovely landscape. Greeting iridescent clouds in the morning and seeing off sunset clouds at dusk， Goddess Peak is also called “Sun-glow Mountain” （Wangxia Mountain）.

“Goddess Peak is perfect and amazing to the world”. It is one of the most mysterious stones with abundant emotions in China. Legend has it that Yaoji， the Jade Emperor's daughter， came to the world to help Dayu build reservoirs against flood. Later， she became a stone to ensure harvests and the safety of boats traveling. Common people treat her as the Goddess of blessings with broad minds. In the eyes of poets and writers， Goddess Peak is an elfi n full of mysteries and the incarnation of wild and strong love， which has sparked their endless imagination. So many old and modern poets and writers such as Qu Yuan， Song Yu， Li Bai， Liu Yuxi， Yuan Zhen， Su Shi， Lu You and Shu Ting

Jintan peak surrounded by clouds Photo by Ding Kunhu

Intoxicating maple leaves in Shennv Xi Photo by Zhang Pin

have fully expressed their emotions towards Goddess Peak in their works.

In many old and contemporary poems， the Goddess Peak has been described. Some lines are full of beautiful scenery and emotions and impresses people a lot， creating a cultural river fl owing down from generation to generation. The culture of Goddess has become an enchanting fl ower in the Chinese culture.

In the past， when people watched the fi gure of Goddess，they had to look from afar in a boat in the Yangtze River Now；visitors can climb the peak and watch her closely. In March 25， with an altitude of 190 meters and traveling height of 160 meters， the highest sightseeing elevator for the Goddess watching in the south-east of China began to be built. Next year， it will be open to the visitors. At that time， visitors can watch the Goddess scenic spot from the middle to the top by elevator. The Wushan Goddess Airport also began to be built in April. It will be in service at the end of 2017. When fi nished， the airport can carry passengers from the main area of the city to Wushan in less than 2 hours.

Goddess Stream， hidden in the mountains， is located across from Goddess Peak. Legend has it that Yao Ji and her sisters had a bath there. Goddess Stream is 15 kilometers long with high， green and steep mountains， beautiful gorges and exotic fl owers and herbs on the both banks.

The Beautiful Spectacular of Rain and Clouds Over Wushan Mountain

"The blue sea makes all other waters unworthy of the name； After Wushan， all other clouds are mere puffballs above." The vast majority of Chinese people are familiar with these two ancient Chinese poem verses. It is said that as long as one has seen the fantasy rain and clouds over Wushan Mountain，the rain and clouds elsewhere cannot deserve their name. Since Tang dynasty， Wushan Mountain has been famous for its clouds circling above and the scene of clouds at sunrise and rain at sunset， and now it has become an indispensable part of China's culture and tourism.

Rain and clouds over Wushan Mountain are excellent natural landscape. When clouds circle over the twelve peaks and rise up， it will rain， which forms an extremely beautiful spectacular and when they gather in the Wu Gorge， due to its special natural geographical environment， strange landscapes of rain and clouds are formed.

Wushan Mountain is located in the heart of Yangtze Gorges. The Yangtze River winding through the mountains creates the unique gorge wonder. Wushan Mountain belongs to subtropical monsoon climate， and the annual precipitation is about 1200 mm. In summer and fall， the high temperature and rainy weather have created the beautiful rosy clouds scenery. Clouds drifting， accumulating and dispersing among hills can easily bring out infi nite imagination while compared to the ups and downs in life. Song Yu， in the Warring States period has written Gaotang Fu and Shennv Fu， to associate the clouds and rain over Wushan Mountain with the Goddesses there， adding more mysterious romance to the rain and clouds over Wushan Mountain.

If you want to watch rain and clouds， just come to Wushan Mountain！ In recent years，numerous photographers travel in Wushan Mountain just in order to take some photos of the beautiful scenes of the clouds and rain there.

Wushan's Red Leaves： Another Beautiful Scene of the Three Gorges

The red leaves spread all over the mountain are like rosy clouds， and the rosy clouds have added glory to the Yangtze Gorges for many successive years. Wushan red leaves are another beautiful scene of the Yangtze Gorges. Among the national famous scenic spots of red leaves， the red leaves of the Three Gorges are outstanding and unique.

The red leaves of the Three Gorges have a large growing area， crossing the whole areas of Yangtze Gorges. In the late autumn season， 70% of the mountains are covered by patches of red leaves， and among them， 70% of the red leaves converge in Wu Gorge， so it is the best place to watch the red leaves.

If you want to enjoy the sight of red leaves in the Three Gorges， come to Wushan County！Within the county， there are more than 100，000 mu （666.67 ha） red leaves and most of them gather in the Wu Gorge and Bawu Gorge. “The red leaves of the Three Gorges are picturesque；every piece silhouette against the Yangtze Gorges.” “Wind blows the fame of Wu Gorge's red leaves to the world.” Watching the red leaves in Wushan， you can ride up the mountain， and see almost all mountains are covered with red leaves along the way； or you can travel by boat and get a good view of the red leaves on both sides； or you can hike in the red leaves forest and have a close contact with them. In such way，you can take a photo in these red leaves， or look for the inspiration of poetry from the red leaves，or make samples of the red leaves...What a pleasure！

On November 28， 2007， Wushan held the first festival of red leaves of the Three Gorges and the eighth Goddess tourism culture festival，and up to now， the red leaves festival has conducted nine sessions.

Small Three Gorges in Wushan County： the Mystery of Hanging Coffins and Plank Roads Built Along the Face of Cliff

Small Three Gorges in Wushan County，known as "Chinese Wonder" and " Superb Scenery Worldwide”， is a national scenic area and one of the national 5A-class tourist scenic spots. In 1991， it has already ranked among "the Top 40 Chinese Tourists Resorts".

Small Three Gorges in Wushan County is the general name for Longmen Gorge， Bawu Gorge and Dicui Gorge， formed by the Daning River， the largest tributary of the Yangtze Gorges， when it goes through Wushan Mountain，and the total length is 50 km. The gorges of Wushan Mountain are grandly precipitous. When you pass through them in boats， it is as if you travel through a hole under-earth but can see a line of sky， because the peaks seem to be linked together with the sky and nearly all the sky and lights are covered. Alongside them are forests，green bamboos and majestic mountains with a colorful， ever-changing spectacle. For one moment， there is misty scenery featuring peace and quiet， but for another moment， there are foaming waterfalls and thrilling rapids， creating a tremendous momentum. Besides， there are mandarin ducks in pairs， rock-climbing monkeys，fl ying birds， swimming fi sh， stones， fl owers and plants. All of them are picturesque！

The first of the Small Three Gorges is Longmen Gorge， with a length of 8 km. Two steep peaks confront with each other like the doors， and win the reputation of “not Kuimen but better than it” due to its magnifi cence. Longmen Bridge was built in 2010 to connect the two peaks， which has a total length of 855.9 meters and a main span of 240 meters， adding a bright scene to the Small Three Gorges. Longmen Gorge has such scenic pots as "blue lions guarding the doors" "ganoderma lucidum peak" and "nine-dragon column".

boat -like coffin in Dicui Gorge

Small Three Gorges Scenic Area

The second gorge is Bawu Gorge， with a total length of 10 km. There are protuberant peaks， grotesque rocks， clean streamsand stalactite of strange shapes， and in spring and autumn， the fog fills the air. The main attractions are： the Fairy Throwing Hydrangea， Sleeping Beauty， Lotus Seat of Avalokitesvara， Pigsy Worshiping Avalokitesvara， Hanging Coffins， etc. Especially in the early winter season， the red leaves over the peaks are exceptionally bright， attracting countless visitors， who either watch afar in ships or land the “red” mountain to have a close look or take photos. It's also the best area to watch macaques.

The third one is Dicui Gorge， with a length of 20 km. There are continuous precipices， overlapping peaks， clean waters，foaming waterfalls， green bamboos and forests， and colorful stones dotted along the bank. Also， you can see mandarin ducks tumbling merrily about in the water and monkeys climbing branches. It's the most deep， elegant and poetic gorge among the three. Main attractions are Ox's Liver and Horse's Lung Gorge， Cliff Buddha， Spring in the Sky， Luojiazai， Madu River，Sky-touching Peak， Golden Monkey Peak， Chibimotian， Boat Coffi ns， Double Eagles Playing With Screen， Feiyun Cave， etc.

The peculiarity of the hanging coffins and the mystery of plank roads along the cliff can easily produce an illusion of going back to history. On the west bank of Daning River are chiseled with 6888 square holes in an arranged order， winding around Wushan Mountain more than 320 kilometers， which is the borehole remains of the plank roads built in ancient times. What were they used for？ Why do the ancients want to complete this huge project？ For military purposes？ Or just to use the salt spring？ Many questions arise. In recent years， on the east precipice of Dicui Gorge， nearly three-kilometer plank road has been recovered with the ideas of "the original scale，the original process and the original style"， which becomes the best choice for visitors to walk， to observe， to take photos and to fl y their thoughts.

The Smaller Three Gorges of more Charm

The Smaller Three Gorges， with a total length of 20 km，is within the Small Three Gorges and is the general name for Sancheng Gorge， Qinwang Gorge and Changtan Gorge which lie in the lower reaches of Madu River， the tributary of Daning River. There are peaks of varied shapes， steep cliffs confronting with each other， and streams refl ecting the theme， thus forming a beautiful landscape， like an exquisite canyon bonsai. The upper reaches of the Smaller Three Gorges is Pinghe resort village， the starting point of drifting line. The drifting in the Small Three Gorges is funny and without risks. On the way， you can experience the thrilling feeling when boats cross over waves，and appreciate the scenery on both sides， one line sky scene，fi sh swimming in the water， and eagles fl ying in the sky while drifting along. All of these are extremely attractive.

The Three Small Gorges is more charming after impounded. The three beautiful gorges， lined with four sparkling lakes： Daning Lake， Dongping Lake， Shuanglong Lake and Taichang Lake， seem a string of pearls. Boats of different sizes and styles shuttle around， one moment in the gorges and another moment out of them， and as such you will better scenery.

Visiting Wushan County， you not only can experience the wonderful scenery of the Yangtze Gorges， drift around the Small Three Gorges， watch the Goddess Peak， or have a close contact with the red leaves covered over the mountain， but also can visit many other unique scenic spots， which will hardly tear yourself away from.

Liziping Forest Parkk

Wushan Mountain is often covered with fog and holes， and towering lotus trees reach for the sky； besides the twelve peaks， there scatter millions more of peaks. Wushan County is the national ecological civilization demonstration county， with forest coverage rate as high as 55%. Wushan County has many forests and its vegetation is good. In recent years， Wushan County keeps developing forest tourism to exploit the high quality resources once hiding deep in the mountains.

Liziping forest park is located in the north of the Yangtze river， 45 kilometers away from the county， with an area of 70000 mu （4666.67 ha）. The forest park has abundant animal and plant resources with 183 species of plants， including such national protection plants as taxus chinensis， cercidiphyllum， eupteleaceae， actinidia chinensis， Zelkova serrata， etc； and over 110 kinds of terrestrial wild vertebrates including ranodon sibiricus kessler， serow， muntjac， wild boar， chrysolophus pictus， and pheasant and so on. Among them， chrysolophus pictus and pheasant are the national and municipal protection animals.

Dangyang Grant Canyon

Dangyang Grant Canyon consists of the Lihe and Pinghe canyons in the upstream of the Smaller Three Gorges and the Congping alpine wetland park. It starts from Pinghe town to the south and reaches the Big Nine Lakes in Shennongjia area to the north. It is an important channel to connect such tourist attractions as the Small Three Gorges，Smaller Three Gorges， Dachang ancient town and Big Nine Lakes wetland park，Shennongjia， the "Chongqing-Hubei golden triangle" of Yangtze Gorges.

The new-built Dangyang Grand Canyon tourist highway is about 50 kilometers， with the first 20-kilometer section built along the river bed of Pinghe canyon to Dangyang town. Along the way you can see the high cliff wall from the bottom and enjoy the landscape along the river. The second section is about 10 km from Dangyang town upwards to Renziping， and you can appreciate the valley scenery. The third section is about 20 kilometers， starting from the Renziping， through the mountains， to the Big Nine Lakes wetland park. You can enjoy the magnifi cent landscape of peaks and mountains on the way. In addition，there are tourist roads from Dangyang town to Congping Wetland Park and the Dangyang canyon tourist road can reach Li River scenic area and Ganlong cave.

Photo by Tan Yan

Dangyang grand canyon scenic area is integrated with valleys， streams，waterfalls， caves， grassland and pastoral scenery. The canyon is deep and mysterious， and peaks on both sides are strange with Jiaozi stone and Buddha figure， Dangyang pass， Flags peak and other distinctive and stunning landscapes. Congping wetland park is the wellpreserved alpine wetland in Chongqing，with an area of 150，000 mu （10，000 ha）. Forest， grassland， wetland and lakes of different sizes， together make the amazing beauty. Along the narrow and long Li river are high mountains and deep valley， and the stalagmites in Ganlong cave is peculiar and impressive.

Nine Dragons Valley Scenic Area

Nine Dragons Valley in Wushan County is closely linked with the Small Three Gorges. In the valley scenic area， there are circular columns about 60 meters high，and nine stones line up like nine vivid dragons， thus the Nine Dragons Valley is named accordingly. The valley is integrated with streams， caves， waterfalls， grottoes and other landscapes. The continuous mountain has lush vegetation， and tourists in the mountain can enjoy the nature to the heart content. Located in the south of Wushan Mountain is the“twelve caves of Wu Gorge”， which are deep and of twists and turns， and in the caves are strange stalactites， thus gaining its reputation of "the best caves in Yangtze river".

Wushan Museum

Wushan County has a long history and a splendid culture. There is Wushan Man Site at Longgupo， a village over 2.04 million years ago， and Daxi Culture Site， a tribe more than 5000 years ago. Wushan is named after “ten wizards in ancient times”. In Chu Dynasty， it was named WuJun as the barrier in the west； in the Qin Dynasty， it was named Wu County； and in the Sui Dynasty it was named Wushan County and then the name is used up to till now.

Wushan Museum， built on the west side of Goddess Road， is the landmark building of Wushan county. The museum boasts of more than 40000 unearthed cultural relics since Shang and Zhou dynasties， and Mr Qian Weichang praises them as "national treasures". In particular， unearthed cultural relics of Han and Jin dynasties are very rich，which is of great signifi cance to study the economic and social development in the Three Gorges region.

Wushan Man Site at Longgupo lies within Miaoyu town， about 60 kilometers southwest from Wushan County， and it is a key cultural relics site under national protection. Longgupo culture represents the beginning of Stone Age over 2.04 million years ago.

Daxi Cultural Site is located in Daxi village， the east of the Qutang Gorge. Many research results show that it is a settlement area of matriarchal clan in the New Stone Age of late primitive society about more than fi ve thousand years ago.

Wushan's Ancient Towns

Dachang ancient town， the fi rst ancient town in the Yangtze Gorges area， is closely linked with the Small Three Gorges scenic area， and is the most intact ancient architectural complexes of Ming and Qing dynasties in the Yangtze Gorges reservoir area. t has a history of over 1700 years and covers an area of about 10 hectares. Tourists name it as “pocket ancient town” for “one amp can light the whole town， neighbors can talk with each other in their own homes and all families in the town if somebody s beaten in the court.” The preservation of the most primitive ornices， bricks， tiles， beacon towers， battlements， carved beams， painted rafters， and wooden facades all show the natural beauty and primitive simplicity.

Longxi ancient town is located in the northern area of Wushan County， 3 hours in waterway upwards along the Small Three Gorges and Dachang ancient town from Wushan County，or 2 hours in land route from Wushan new town， through Futian own to WuXi. It once was an important transit point in Daning iver， known as "little Shanghai". Therefore， a large number of ancient architectural complexes gather from late Qing dynasty to he period of the Republic of China and they are of different styles but also infl uenced by each other. The vast majority remains intact o far. The winding streets are built along the river， revealing the quietness and primitive simplicity. The most distinctive scene is the still recognizable slogans and price advertisements of many historical periods on the walls along the streets， and walking in the streets gives you a feeling of traveling in different historical time and space. Most tourists love it best.

Rural Pastoral Scenery

With the development of modern transportation， the beautiful ural scenery in Wushan County hidden deep in the mountains s gradually developed and shown out before people. The auliflower in representative Guandu town， spreading over flat dams， hills and slopes， is very beautiful and a feast to your eyes. Quchi Village of Wushan County has 30，000 mu （200ha） orchards which stretch for miles， known as the most beautiful village of flowers and fruits in the Yangtze Three Gorges areas. The Hongchun town is located locally in the forest， and its buildings are of peculiar style. The cool climate in summer and its rich local customs and cuisines attract many visitors.

Photo by Ding Kunhu

All pictures provided by Wu Shan Tourism Administration

The Famous Gorge Sightseeing Scenic Spot in the World The Beauty of Yangtze River Lies in The Three Gorges While The Beauty of which Lies in Wushan

□ Written and Edited by Tang Gang

Great Scenery and Picturesque Mountains Surrounding the New Tourist Citiy along the River The Beauty of the Three Gorges Lies in Wushan Mountain

What else to See in Wushan