1984 Trip on Yangzi - Chongqing to Shanghai

25. Xiling Gorge

Xiling Gorge starts at Xiang Xi and zigzags for 76 kilometers down to Yichang. It is the longest and historically the most dangerous of the Yangzi Gorges. Before the passage was made safe in the 1950s, "The whole surface of the water was a swirling mass of whirlpools sucking the froth they created into their centers." Xiling comprises seven small gorges and two of the fiercest rapids in the entire 648-kilometer stretch of the Yangzi between Chongqing and Yichang.

The spectacular Three Gorges - Qutang, Wu and Xiling, start just after Fengjie and end near Yichang, a stretch of about 200 kilometers. The gorges vary from 300 meters at their widest to less that 100 meters at their narrowest. In this section, the Yangtze carves its way through the gorge between the sheer precipices on both sides.

Consisted of dangerous rapids and current, Xiling Gorge starts at Badong County zigzagging for seventy-six kilometers (forty seven miles) down to the Nanjin Pass in Yichang. It is the longest part of the Three Gorges with many dangerous rapids. Do not miss another river drifting to Shennong Stream (usually an alternative one for the Little Three Gorges), it is also an unspoiled place for most visitors.