YEAH, Yangtze From Top to Bottom

The Gezhouba Dam has the distinction of being the first completely researched, planned and constructed project completed entirely by Chinese damming the Yangtze. The undertaking began in 1970 and took 18 years to complete. It includes two power stations, three ship locks, spillway, and auxiliary dam. It contains the largest lock on the Yangtze and at the time of building contained the largest lock in the world. At the dam site, the Yangtze widens from 300 meter to 2200 meters. A leisurely walk around this area enabled me to appreciate the vastness of the project. A quick tour stop simply is not enough.

The dam is 2595 meters long with height of 47 meters. Garden parks near the area create a tourist site that provides considerably revenue in spite of the mere 20Y entrance fee. More parks are being planned all around the area. It is open from dawn to dusk, but when lit up at night is visible for quite a distance. Although it closes at dusk, you can watch the boats with their lights aglow traveling up the river to go through the locks.

I spent a couple of hours watching ships enter the locks in both directions and stand on the gates to get close up pictures of the various stages of the water while the boats were in the lock. I could remain standing on the gate that was not opening or shutting to look straight down at the how quickly the water filled the locks. It was interesting to be looking down at the people standing deck and then later being looking at eye level to them. The ships only waited a matter of perhaps 15 minutes before it was their turn to enter.

Part of the pleasure of the locks is walking down the river walk to get to it. You can spend time enjoying the sights, vendors and views on your way to the locks. The river walk and Gezhouba Dam giving you the opportunity to see the mighty Yangtze is well worth an entire day.

Quick Tips:

The hydrofoil from Yichang goes as far as Chongqing just like the larger cruise boats. It takes 11 hours and costs about 300Y one-way. I chose to go as far as Badong and come back the same day. It was a 2-hr cruise that cost 110Y including pick up from my hotel with a return of 110Y being dropped off at the main terminal. Be advised you have to buy the return ticket once you arrive at your destination. They do sell round trip. The boat runs about every 2 hours if you are not sure how long you wish to stay. Personally, I did not find much in Badong to maintain my interest, but then again I did not take a cab. I quickly learned English is not spoken here so if you do not know Chinese you would need to have where you wish to go written down for a cab driver. I have heard there are some places, but there was no way I was able to communicate where to take me.

Although the boat has no outdoor deck, it is open air by the doors, which is where I spent most of my time. From here, I was able to view the gorges and take pictures. The boat moves slow enough to see the sights of the bridges and rock formations from nearly water level looking up.

I was rather surprised to see Sinopec Oil Tanks and coal mining right down to the river’s edge. There were some old dilapidated homes and relatively new ones. In my mind, I kept thinking about the areas that would be flooded during the last phase of the damming project and the people being relocated. People continue to discuss the possible effects, but it is too late now. Still, the Yangtze is a spectacular example of Mother Nature.

Be advised there are two ferry ticket offices in Yichang. One is right on the river, but it is not where the ferry departs from. A bus takes passengers beyond the Gezhouba Dam to the ferry docks that take about 45 minutes.

A great website for hydrofoil information and inexpensive short overnight cruises is chinadam and for general china tourism information including a Q&A forum QandA

Best Way To Get Around:

Rather than taking the various city tours or specific site tours, you can easily see what you want, when you want for as long as you want using buses and taxis. Bus #10 parallels the river going by Gezhouba Locks and terminates at Sanyou Caves across which is across from Whitehorse Caves. Buses begin running early in the morning and continue late into the evening. Taxis are readily available and quite inexpensive. Most understand if you just say the name of the main sight that you want to visit. If you enjoy walking, take the river walk for a less than two hours west to get to the locks. Although there are pagodas and parks along the river in the east direction, the construction along the main road makes it poor idea right now. Moreover, some of the sights like the natural pagoda that is several stories high for a great panoramic view are currently closed.

In addition to Yichang having two ferry ticket offices, there are also two bus stations. One bus station is located near the ferry ticket office right next to the main bridge and the long distance bus is in the center of town. I was able to walk eight blocks to my hotel from the main bus station to give you an idea of how compact the transportation and tourist are in Yichang. Across from the main or long distance bus station is the train station, which is on the route from many major cities. A four hour bus ride from Wuhan was a cost of 100y or .

Both bus and train tickets need to be purchased at their respective stations. However, air tickets can be purchased at www.elong.net who offers very good prices on domestic flights as well as accommodations. Another good choice for booking accommodations is www.sinohotel.com. Hydrofoil tickets and other cruise tickets can be booked at hotels as well as their ticket offices.

Yichang is also a port for the major cruise ships as well as the hydrofoil service. Cruises depart on the Yangtze in both easterly and westerly directions.

This 29-story hotel is in an excellent location just across from the Yangtze River. This makes it a nice landmark when you find yourself wandering around and everything in Chinese seems to read the same thing. While taking a walk along the riverfront I discovered this landmark view was not so visible from beneath the shaded path. I soon learned another landmark was that just as I reached the bridge to turn and cross the street. My hotel was also next to the bridge.

My enormous room was on the 14th floor and had a king size bed. There was a mini bar in one corner and a snack bar in another corner. Complimentary items included two types of tea bags and a hot water maker. The house cleaner was astute enough to notice which flavor tea I was drinking and would replace that particular one.

The bathroom had complimentary plush bathrobes, slippers, toothbrush, toothpaste, and combs. Items for purchase included bath salts, razors, and mouthwash. Shampoo and shower gel dispensers were on the shower wall.

Four restaurants were available for dining including a 24-hour Red Lady Western restaurant. This restaurant also provided room service. On the top revolving floor was a restaurant the served both Chinese and Western dishes and was open for lunch and dinner only. There were two Chinese restaurants on the first floor with one of them offering buffet meals.

The entire staff was well-versed in English and made for such a pleasant stay that I stayed an additional night. Complimentary newspapers left on the doorsteps of the guest’s room included an English one for me. Staff greeted in English and was able to get tickets, bus information, tourist information, and even translation for a taxi driver easily.

Hotel amenities included photographic services, tour reservations, flight confirmation, and even baby-sitting service. Facilities included stores, a beauty shop, billiards, sauna, and conference rooms. Internet service was free and if you did not have a computer, you just needed to contact the front desk.

This hotel is eco-friendly. Cards placed on your bed indicated you did not need to have your sheets changed and towels hung up did not need laundering. Your card key is need to turn on the lights so when you are gone, they automatically turn off. Even signs in the bathroom requested you not waste water.

I would highly recommend this hotel for business and leisure travelers. They do a great job of catering to both.

Credit cards are accepted, and they will hold reservations until 6pm. There is a deposit equivalent to an additional night, payable in cash. The nightly rate for my room was 300Y ($28).

The ticket office to White Horse Cave is few hundred feet from Sanyou Cave just across the bridge. A young woman standing on the bridge asked where I was going. I showed here the paper I was holding and she took me to the ticket office. From the ticket office, you walk down a few flights of very steep steps to the water’s edge. From here, I rode in a boat up the gorge for about 5 minutes. The driver turned around, went around the tip of Sanyou Cave Park up the Yangtze for a few a minutes, and turned around again. He stopped the boat a short distance away from where I had boarded. The driver motioned for me to go up the steep steps. I thought he was going to wait for me while I visited the cave, but instead he departed right after I got out. I headed up the steps not really knowing where I was going or how I was going to get back. I knew the entrance to the caves was by boat only according to what I had read.

I reached a kiosk where I found myself standing in front of a crystal-clear pool of water coming from the mouth of a cave. A motion of the guide told me to get into a boat where a couple other people were sitting. The driver gently paddled the boat into the cave. Along the walls were a few softly colored lights that provided just enough light to see the stalactites. It was still relatively dark when the boat came to a crashing halt.

Here we exited the boat and followed the guide through the dimly lit path in the caves. The walkway was quite slippery particularly along the stairs. The water dripping from above, combined with the stream nearby, creates very moist conditions. Periodically, the guide would stop and use her flashlight to point out a feature and give a narrative in Chinese.

There were three photographers set up at the photographic pints. The kept they are lights dim until someone requeste4d a photo. From the photos displayed, my pictures would not offer and competition. One stalactite shaped like a horse, hence the name of the cave, was the most photographed formation. There must have been a story behind the monkey head I took a picture of us, but I do not have a clue what it might be.

After following the guide for about 200 meters back into the cave, we reached an exit. This was not where we had entered. Instead, we were nearly at street level. My concerns about how I was going to get back and the stairs I would have to ascend were all for naught.

It is open from 8am-4pm and costs 60Y, or $7.50.

Sanyou Cave also known as Three Travelers’ Cave is in the cliffs of the northern Peak of Xiling Mountain. Three poets visited the cave and wrote poems in memory of their visit.

After entering the park, take the path to the right, which is the south side and faces the Yangtze River. At the end of the path is Zhang Fei Hitting Drum Platform where troops trained. From here, you can get a great view looking down into the gorges as well as the Gezhouba Dam off in the distance. In the same direction, I noticed two-seater open cable cars on a cable spanning the width of the Yangtze River. I did not notice any of the cars moving so I figured the ride must have not been operating. Since it appeared whatever park they were coming from could not have been more than a mile away I keep looking back to see if I saw any movement. The idea of crossing the river on a cable car had real appeal.

A narrow path from the platform carved out of the cliffs lead down near the water’s edge. From here, you can see the gorges looking upward and west. This area is the Nanjing Pass and was a hotly contested area among rival armies as it is the diving point between the middle and upper Yangtze. The bottleneck here would be a strategic coup to those that controlled it.

Beyond Zhang Fei’s Platform, the trail leads to a peninsula point where Liu Bei’s Fortress is located. From this vantage point, you are at the water’s edge and get a magnificent view of the river with the sharp craggy formations rising up on either side. Here you feel almost swallowed up by the immense size of the river and height of the cliffs.

Follow the path west you walk along another path carved into the cliffs and going into Xialo Brook’s smaller, but impressive gorge. It is on this path the famed Sanyou Cave with all the poems are found. At the mouth of the cave are three large white statues of the poets with a small light behind them illuminating their features.

A trail leading to the middle of the park has several interesting sights. I was particularly fond of the rock garden on a green grassy knoll. Large boulders had Chinese characters or nature scenes carved into them. At first, I thought it was some rather strange tombstones. The area commemorates those that stood strong against the Japanese.

In the very center of park is a tower with a spiral staircase that ascends three flights. Here there is a panoramic view of the Yangtze River, the deeply carved gorges and the bridge spanning the Xialo Brook gorge. The park provides views not scene from a cruise ship.

I was able to enjoy a panoramic view of the gorge from top looking down as well as the bottom looking up.

Open 7am-7pm, 30Y entrance fee.

The riverwalk is located between the two bridges in Yichang and takes about 1½ hours one-way if you are not stopping at any of the many sights. If you continue beyond the west bridge for another 30 minutes, you will have arrived at the entrance to Gezhouba locks.

The main walkway is shaded with a variety of evergreens, potted plants, and flowers. There are several pagodas along the way with one of particular interest. It has a couple of ponds, a small bridge, and a waterfall with a gazebo on top. I began to ascend the carved out steps around the waterfall only to reach a dead end. Feeling a bit foolish, I saw some other steps and began to ascend them when I reached another dead end. It was then that I r4ealized the steps we4re designed like a maze, and the reward was the panoramic view from the top. From the top, I not only could see the river, but these hug 10’ high mushrooms by the ponds. In the zigzagging corridor surrounding the area people played traditional instruments while others sang.

Another beautiful sight is the Zhenjianggi Pavilion. The multi-story tower built in traditional architecture in colors of deep brown tones looked so ancient. Dragons intricately carved into the framework and along the eves on the roof are gorgeous. Inside it housed models of Three Gorges Dam and Ancient Yichang.

As sunset, the open squares filled with dancers. Everything from Traditional dancing to ballroom and line dancing abound. Kids would be skating in squares next to where their parents danced. Soft lights would come along the squares telling me that the city was very much in favor of the entertainment for their community. This was one time when I could not find an empty bench.

The extensive outdoor gym was also quite popular. Machines very much like those found in a gym, lined a very long part of the river walk. There were cardiovascular machines as well as ones to work out individual muscles. Although being outside in the elements they were not identical to those found in a gym, they functioned quite smoothly.

On the weekend evenings there was even more entertainment. Carnival games would set up to entice youngsters to try there luck tossing rings or piercing balloons. Someone even brought out little cars that like a jet ski would just circle around for the very young children to enjoy.

At night, the permanently anchored boats served as nightclubs and restaurants. Reflections of their neon lights would dance on the water’s surface. Some of the boat has obviously been cruise boats as they were three stories high.

Weekends and weekdays, days and nights, the river walk offers much to see and do. As if, the views of the river and mountain ranges were not enough. What’s more, there is no entrance fee and I saw no fees for participating in the events or using the facilities with the exception of the carnival games.