Xiling Gorge ( simplified Chinese : 西陵峡 ; traditional Chinese : 西陵峽 ; pinyin : Xīlíng Xiá ) is a gorge on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in Hubei province, China. It is the easternmost and largest of the Three Gorges .
6-529: Xiling Gorge is located in Zigui County and Yiling District , in the west of Hubei province, from Xiangxi down to the western suburbs of Yichang . Xiangxi village is located in Zigui County, at the fall of the stream of the same name into the river, between Guizhou Town and Quyuan Town. The area is named after Mt. Xiling, a peak at the eastern end of the gorge, and has been so named since at least
12-613: Is a county of western Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Yichang and encompasses the easternmost portion of the Yangtze River Gorges, including the Xiling Gorge . The county seat of Zigui is now the town of Maoping ( 茅坪镇 ; Máopíng Zhèn ), situated a few kilometers west of the Three Gorges Dam on the high southern shore of
18-481: Is hilly or mountainous with basic farming and tea production. There are many small coal mines in the mountains, with the coal trucked to the river then loaded onto barges for shipping downstream. Passenger boats and ferries travelling up and down the river can dock at the large passenger dock ("Zigui Harbor", 秭归港) at Maoping, or at Taipingxi Town on the north bank close to the Dam. Frequent bus service connects Maoping with
24-526: The Three Kingdoms period when it was recorded in the geographical treatise Shui Jing Zhu . Xiling, which forms nearly half the length of the entire Three Gorges region, is actually a series of four different gorges: Precious Sword; Horse Lung and Ox Liver; Soundless Bell; and Shadow Play Gorges. The Three Gorges Dam was constructed at Sāndòupíng in the middle of the Xiling Gorge. Before
30-544: The construction of the Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam , Xiling was known for being the most dangerous of the three gorges to travel through, with frightening whirlpools and strong rapids. Since the construction of the dams, the river's depth has increased from 3 metres (9.8 ft) in some areas below the dam, to well over 100 metres (330 ft) throughout the reservoir's length. Zigui County Zigui County ( simplified Chinese : 秭归 县 ; traditional Chinese : 秭歸 縣 ; pinyin : Zǐguī Xiàn )
36-587: The river. The original Zigui town was upstream to the west and was abandoned and submerged under the rising waters of the reservoir in the early years of the 21st century. As it is common in China, Maoping is typically labelled as "Zigui County" ( 秭归县 ) or simply "Zigui" ( 秭归 ) on most maps. Eight towns: Four townships: A good view of the Three Gorges Dam, and of an ancillary dam further south, can be had from Maoping's riverside parks. Most of Zigui
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