The Three Gorges — Qutang, Wu and Xiling — are the stretch of the Yangtze where the river cuts through the Wu Mountains between Fengjie in Chongqing and Yichang in Hubei, some 190 km of limestone cliffs and narrows celebrated in Chinese poetry for two millennia. Since the Three Gorges Dam at Sandouping in Hubei filled its reservoir, the river through the gorges has become a deep, calm lake, and the landscape has changed profoundly.
- National scenic area · 1982
Key facts
Overview
For most of history the gorges were the most dangerous and most admired stretch of the Yangtze: a narrow channel between cliffs hundreds of metres high, with rapids, whirlpools and hidden rocks that boatmen and trackers fought through, hauling junks upstream on ropes from paths cut in the rock. They were the gateway between the Sichuan Basin and the middle Yangtze, and generations of poets travelled through them.
From west to east, Qutang Gorge begins at Baidicheng near Fengjie and is the shortest and most dramatic; Wu Gorge runs past the Twelve Peaks of Wushan across the border into Hubei; and Xiling Gorge, the longest, lies entirely in Hubei and ends near Yichang. The Three Gorges Dam stands within the Xiling section at Sandouping, and its reservoir now extends upstream through all three gorges to Chongqing.
How the landscape formed
The Yangtze cuts across the Wu Mountains, a belt of folded limestone uplifted over the last few million years. The river maintained its course as the land rose, carving an antecedent gorge whose walls are highest where the limestone is thickest, as at Kuimen, the entrance to Qutang Gorge. Softer rocks between the gorges form wider valleys where towns grew. Tributaries such as the Daning River cut their own smaller gorges. Since the reservoir reached its normal level of 175 metres in 2010, the water in the gorges has risen by more than 100 metres at the dam and by tens of metres through the gorges, submerging rapids, towpaths, riverside towns and archaeological sites, and making the cliffs appear lower. Seasonal lowering of the reservoir exposes a drawdown zone along the banks.
Highlights
Qutang Gorge
瞿塘峡
The shortest and narrowest gorge, about 8 km, beginning at the Kuimen gate between two vertical cliffs.
Kuimen
夔门
The gateway to Qutang Gorge, one of the most famous views in China.
Wu Gorge
巫峡
About 45 km of winding gorge below the Twelve Peaks of Wushan, straddling Chongqing and Hubei.
Goddess Peak
神女峰
The most celebrated of the Twelve Peaks, a rock pillar seen as the goddess of Wushan.
Xiling Gorge
西陵峡
The longest gorge, about 66 km, once the most dangerous for its rapids, now largely within the reservoir and the dam area.
Lesser Three Gorges
大宁河小三峡
Narrow gorges on the Daning River, which joins the Yangtze at Wushan.
Baidicheng
白帝城
The White Emperor City on a hill at the head of Qutang Gorge, now almost surrounded by the reservoir.
Plants and wildlife
The reservoir has turned a fast river into a slow, deep lake, changing sediment flow, fish habitat and water quality. The slopes above hold subtropical forest and orchards, and the Wu Mountains are home to relict plants. The river is part of the habitat of the Yangtze finless porpoise downstream and was the range of the Chinese paddlefish, declared extinct in 2022.
Plants
Citrus orchards
柑橘
Terraced orange groves around Fengjie and Zigui cover the gorge slopes.
Cliff cypress
崖柏
Thuja sutchuenensis, a rare conifer of the Daba and Wu Mountains, once thought extinct.
Wildlife
Chinese sturgeon
中华鲟
A migratory fish whose spawning route up the Yangtze was blocked first by the Gezhouba dam and then by the Three Gorges Dam.
Rhesus macaque
猕猴
Once famous for their cries in the gorges, still present in the forests above.
Culture and legend
The gorges run through the heartland of the ancient state of Ba and were a frontier between Shu and Chu. Baidicheng is where Liu Bei, ruler of Shu Han, entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang before dying in 223, a scene retold in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Qu Yuan was born at Zigui and Wang Zhaojun at Xingshan, both in the Xiling area. Poets from Li Bai to Du Fu, who lived at Kuizhou (Fengjie) for two years, wrote about the gorges. The dam project relocated riverside towns and moved or protected many monuments.
巴东三峡巫峡长，猿鸣三声泪沾裳。Bādōng Sānxiá Wū Xiá cháng, yuán míng sān shēng lèi zhān cháng.
“Of the Three Gorges of eastern Ba, Wu Gorge is the longest; three cries of the gibbons, and tears wet the traveller's robe.”
— Fishermen's song, quoted by Li Daoyuan in the Commentary on the Water Classic (水经注), early 6th century
Baidicheng
白帝城
Temple complex associated with Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang above Qutang Gorge.
Zhang Fei Temple
张飞庙
Temple at Yunyang, moved upstream to higher ground before the reservoir rose.
Qu Yuan Shrine
屈原祠
Shrine to the poet Qu Yuan, rebuilt at the new county town of Zigui near the dam.
Hanging coffins
悬棺
Ancient coffins placed in cliff crevices along the gorges and the Daning River.
Trackers
纤夫
The men who hauled boats upstream on ropes; their towpaths are now mostly underwater.
History
223
Liu Bei dies at Baidicheng
The entrusting of his heir to Zhuge Liang became one of the best-known episodes of the Three Kingdoms.
Early 6th century
Li Daoyuan describes the gorges
His Commentary on the Water Classic gives the classic prose account of the gorges.
1919
Sun Yat-sen proposes a dam
The idea of damming the Yangtze at the gorges first appears in his plan for national development.
1982
National scenic area
The Yangtze Three Gorges were listed in the first group of national key scenic areas.
1994
Dam construction begins
Work starts at Sandouping after the National People's Congress approved the project in 1992.
2003
Reservoir begins to fill
Water rises in the gorges; the ship locks open and the first generators start.
2010
Reservoir reaches 175 metres
The normal pool level is reached for the first time, completing the transformation of the gorges.
2016
Ship lift opens
A vertical ship lift beside the locks allows smaller vessels to pass the dam quickly.
Through the seasons
Spring
Mild, with mist in the gorges; orchards flower on the slopes.
Summer
Hot and humid, with the heaviest rain; the reservoir is drawn down for flood control, and the river is at its busiest.
Autumn
Clear, mild weather and red leaves in the Wushan area in late autumn; the reservoir is refilled to its highest level.
Winter
Cool and often grey, with fewer visitors; the high water keeps the gorges at their most lake-like.
Routes and ways in
River cruise
Multi-day cruises between Chongqing and Yichang pass all three gorges, with shore visits at Fengdu, Shibaozhai, Baidicheng, Wushan and the dam; shorter boat trips run from Fengjie and Wushan.
Lesser Three Gorges
Smaller boats from Wushan enter the gorges of the Daning River and its side valleys.
Three Gorges Dam viewpoints
At Sandouping near Yichang, a visitor area overlooks the dam, the five-step locks and the ship lift.
Plank road walks
Walkways along Qutang Gorge and viewpoints above Kuimen give a view of the cliffs from land.
Practical notes
- Most visitors travel downstream from Chongqing, where the gorges come in their natural order: Qutang, Wu, Xiling, then the dam.
- Fog is common in the mornings, especially in spring and winter; the gorges are then atmospheric but views are short.
- The Three Gorges Dam and the Xiling Gorge are in Hubei; Yichang is the city at the eastern end of the gorges.
- Chongqing and Yichang both have high-speed rail and airports, making it easy to travel one way by boat and return by train.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Yangtze River — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Three Gorges Dam — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- China Three Gorges Corporation — China Three Gorges Corporation (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Chongqing Municipal People's Government — Chongqing Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Commentary on the Water Classic (水经注) — Chinese Text Project (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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