到巫山，还能游什么？

到巫山，还能游什么？

到巫山，不仅能完美体验长江三峡的美妙景致，或泛舟小三峡，或眺望神女峰，或与漫山遍野的红叶亲密接触，还能游览众多别致的景点，令你流连忘返。

梨子坪森林公园

云点巫山洞壑重，参天乱插碧芙蓉，可怜十二奇峰外，更有零星百万峰。巫山是全国生态文明示范县，全县森林覆盖率高达55%。巫山森林密布，植被良好。近年来，巫山持续深入开发森林旅游，让沉睡在大山深处的优质资源逐步被激活。

巫山梨子坪森林公园地处长江以北，距县城45公里，幅员面积达7万亩，林场动植物资源丰富，有植物183种，其中国家级保护植物有红豆杉、连香树、领春木、中华猕猴桃、榉树等；有陆生野生脊椎动物110余种，包括北鲵、鬣羚、麂子、野猪、红腹锦鸡、雉鸡等。其中，国家级及市级保护动物有红腹锦鸡、红腹角雉等。

当阳大峡谷

摄影/谭艳

当阳大峡谷由巫山小小三峡的上游平河大峡谷、里河大峡谷以及葱坪高山湿地公园组成。它南起平河风情小镇，北倚神农架大九湖，是连接巫山小三峡、小小三峡、大昌古镇与大九湖湿地公园、神农架、三峡大坝“渝鄂金三角”旅游的重要通道。

新建的当阳大峡谷旅游公路总长约50公里，首段长20公里，沿平河大峡谷河床修建，直达当阳风情小镇，沿途从谷底仰望高崖翠壁，享受亲水乐趣。第二段长约10公里，由当阳风情小镇盘旋而上到达当阳乡忍子坪，沿途欣赏峡谷田园风光。第三段长约20公里，从忍子坪出发，穿越崇山峻岭，犹如崖壁栈道，直达大九湖湿地公园，沿途可欣赏群峰拥翠、山峦叠嶂的恢弘气象。此外，由当阳场镇有旅游公路往葱坪湿地公园，由当阳大峡谷公路可致里河风景区和干龙洞。

当阳大峡谷景区集峡谷、溪流、瀑布、溶洞、草场、田园风光于一体，峡谷幽深神秘，两岸山峰奇异，分布着轿子石佛像崖、当阳关、旗帜山等极具特色和令人震撼的景观。葱坪湿地公园是重庆市保存最为完好的高山湿地草场，公园面积近15万亩，森林、草场，湿地以及大小不一、星罗密布的湖泊共同构制出惊人的美丽。里河更是山高谷深，天开一线，狭窄悠长，干龙洞石笋造型奇特令人赞叹。

九龙谷景区

巫山九龙谷景区与小三峡紧密相连，景区内有高约60米的圆形石柱，峰脚九个石头整齐排列，状如九龙，惟妙惟肖，九龙谷因此得名。九龙谷集溪涧、溶洞、瀑布、岩穴等各类景观于一体，群峰连绵，植被茂盛，游人徜徉其间，尽享回归自然之乐。位于巫峡南麓的“巫峡十二洞”，洞径幽深曲折，千奇百怪的石钟乳密布其间，堪称“万里长江第一洞”。

巫山博物馆

巫山历史文化悠久，境内有“204万年前的村寨”--龙骨坡巫山人遗址，“5000年前的部落”--大溪文化遗址，巫山因上古“十巫”而得名，楚设巫郡，为楚国西部屏障，秦置巫县，隋朝设巫山县历朝沿革至今。

巫山博物馆建于神女大道西侧，是巫山县城的标志性建筑。馆藏商周以来出土文物4万余件，被钱伟长先生赞为“国之瑰宝”。特别是汉晋出土的文物十分丰富，对研究三峡地区经济和社会发展具有重要意义。

龙骨坡“巫山人”遗址位于距巫山县城西南约60公里的庙宇镇，是全国重点文物保护单位。龙骨坡文化代表了204万年前一种混沌初开的石器工业。

大溪文化遗址位于瞿塘峡东口的大溪乡，发掘研究成果表明，这里距今约五千余年，是原始社会后期母系氏族公社新石器时代人类的聚居点。

巫山古镇

长江三峡第一古镇大昌古镇与小三峡景区内紧密相连，是三峡库区仅有的保存最为完整的明末清初的古建筑群，距今已有1700多年的历史，占地约十公顷，有“一灯照全城，四门可通话，堂上打板子，户户听得见”之说，被游人誉为“袖珍古城”。城内房屋青砖黛瓦，封火墙垛，飞檐翘角，雕梁画栋，木质门面，无一不闪现出一种自然的华美，一种古朴的辉煌。

龙溪古镇位于巫山县北部，水路由巫山县城沿小三峡、大昌古镇上行3小时可达，陆路由巫山新城沿福田镇至巫溪方向两小时可达。龙溪镇历史上是大宁河水运的重要中转站，被誉为“小上海”。因此聚集了大量清末至民国时期的古建筑，风格各异又相互融合，绝大部分至今保存完好。街道沿河而建，蜿蜒盘曲，透露出宁静古朴的风味。最具特色的是龙溪街道墙壁上各个历史时期的口号标语乃至物价广告清晰可变，走入古镇街道犹如穿行在不同的历史时空，深受驴友称赞。

乡村田园风光

随着现代交通的发展，隐藏在大山深处的巫山美丽乡村风光逐渐展示在人们眼前。巫山县以官渡镇为代表的江南菜花，遍布平坝、丘陵、山坡，极具观赏性和震撼力。巫山曲池乡3万亩果园成片发展，绵延十里，桃李竞妍，被誉为三峡最美花果乡。森林中的土家风情小镇红椿，一座座土家风味建筑排别具风味，夏季凉爽的气候以及浓郁的土家民俗、美食让游人流连忘返。

摄影/丁坤虎

本组图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