Yichang & Three Gorges Dam

The eastern gateway to the Three Gorges on the Yangtze, with the Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam, Three Gorges People’s Home in Xiling Gorge, Qu Yuan’s hometown in Zigui, the scenery of the Qingjiang Gallery, and the Tang-poetry relics of Sanyoudong Cave.

Yichang lies in western Hubei, where the middle and upper Yangtze meet. It is the eastern gateway to the Three Gorges, and the city sits downstream of Nanjinguan at the exit of Xiling Gorge. Both the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam are within its borders. This destination is centered on Yichang city and covers Xiling Gorge and its surroundings. Xiling Gorge runs from the mouth of the Xiangxi River in Zigui in the west to Nanjinguan in the east, 66 km in all, the longest of the Three Gorges. Downstream of the dam, Dengying Gorge and Huangniu Gorge still preserve the original look of the gorge-lined river. Wu Gorge, Qutang Gorge, the Lesser Three Gorges of Wushan and Baidicheng belong to the separate “Wushan & Fengjie” destination. The area breaks into four zones: the dam area (Three Gorges Dam, Huangling Temple, Three Gorges People’s Home, Qu Yuan’s hometown, Jiuwanxi); the city and the gorge mouth (Gezhouba Dam, Sanyoudong Cave, the Riverside Park night cruise on the Yangtze, Yichang Museum); the nearby countryside (Chexi, Three Gorges Waterfall, Bailihuang, the Qingjiang Gallery in Changyang); and cultural sites such as Yuquan Temple and Guanling in Dangyang and Zhaojun’s hometown in Xingshan. The classic itinerary is the one-day “Two Dams and One Gorge” boat trip (Yichang – Gezhouba ship lock – Xiling Gorge – Three Gorges Dam), taking about 8 hours; you can also board a Yangtze cruise from Yichang to Chongqing here. The best seasons are April–May and September–November; July–August is hot, but it is peak season for rafting at Jiuwanxi and playing in the water at the Three Gorges Waterfall. Getting there: Yichang East Station has high-speed trains to Wuhan (about 2 hours) and Chongqing, and Sanxia Airport is in Xiaoting District; the Three Gorges Dam is about 1 hour by car from the city. We suggest 2–3 days. Notes: visiting the Three Gorges Dam requires real-name advance reservation, 1–7 days ahead on holidays; Three Gorges People’s Home and the Qingjiang Gallery both involve boat rides, and the last boat stops selling tickets early, so start out early; local specialties include Zigui navel oranges, Qingjiang fish and liangxia (cool shrimp-shaped rice jelly).

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