Sanyou Cave (Three Travellers Cave)
三游洞
A limestone cave in a cliff at the mouth of the Xiling Gorge, named after Bai Juyi, Bai Xingjian and Yuan Zhen, who visited together and wrote poems; there are many rock inscriptions inside and outside the cave.
Sanyou Cave (Three Travellers Cave) lies at Nanjinguan, the mouth of the Xiling Gorge, about 10 km northwest of Yichang's urban area. In the 14th year of the Yuanhe era of the Tang dynasty, Bai Juyi, Bai Xingjian and Yuan Zhen visited together and wrote the "Preface to the Three Travellers Cave." Later, in the Song dynasty, Su Xun, Su Shi and Su Zhe also visited, and together they are known as the "Three Visits, Former and Later." The cave holds rock inscriptions from successive dynasties. Outside the cave are a cliffside plank walkway over the river, the Zhang Fei Drum Platform and Zhixi Pavilion, from which you can overlook the mouth of the Xiling Gorge and the Yangtze. Tickets cost about 65 yuan, and a visit takes about 2 hours. A taxi from the city centre takes about 20 minutes. It can be combined with Gezhouba and the Yangtze night cruise on the same day.
Opening hours
08:00–17:30
Nearby sights
- Nanjinguan (Xiling Gorge Mouth)
- Gezhouba Dam
- Yichang Riverside Park & Yangtze Night Cruise
- Mojishan Park
- Shipai Anti-Japanese War Memorial
- Tianran Pagoda
- Three Gorges Tribe (Sanxia Renjia)
- Yichang Museum