A River Runs Through It

The Yangtze river is the biggest river in Asia. Except it isn't actually called the Yangtze River. That name is an anglicization of the river section between Yangzhou and Shanghai. The entire river is actually called Chang Jiang, or Long River. An appropriate name given that it stretches from the Qinghai-Tibet plateau all the way to Shanghai - a total of 3966 miles. I got to travel on 1290 of them.

First Day on the Chang Jiang

A month ago, I decided to drop some dollars on a cruise trip up the river from Nanjing to Chongqing. Being on a cruise, with day excursions, would not only ensure that I had a comfortable ride, but also that I actually saw the scenery. A lot of the cheaper boats travel through some of the sights at night, and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss a thing.

One of the many factories on the river

The first leg of the journey from Nanjing to Yichang, was not particularly scenic. The river is lined with factories, and the landscape is pretty flat. But all that changes once you get to Yichang. First, river boats have to pass through the single Gezhou dam ship lock. Then, it takes five ship locks to cross the Three Gorges Dam.

Three Gorges Dam at sunset

The Dam itself is an impressive structure, and currently operating at full capacity. It provides electricity and hydropower for millions of people, but the flooding of the reservoir destroyed several significant archaeological sites, changed the famous scenery forever, and displaced over a million people. When we visited the dam, the road was blocked for several hours by farmers, presumably still protesting the project. Much like my visit earlier this year to the other biggest dam in the world, the Itaipu Dam on the Brazil/Paraguay border, I found myself torn between admiration and disgust. On the one hand, people need electricty, it is one of the more significant ways to lift people out of poverty. On the other hand, what has been lost is incalculable.

Three Gorges

Even though the river is now 175 meters high in the Three Gorges, they are still gorgeous. Steep limestone cliffs, pockmarked with the reds and greens and yellows of autumn vegetation.

Autumn colors

Even the three little gorges, steep cliffs on the Danang tributary river, are breathtaking. The water is naturally a vivid green, and the river traffic is much calmer.

Little Three Gorges

Danang River

Water level in the Three Little Gorges

Monkey in the Three Little Gorges

A sampan ride offered the chance to get into some of the more narrow channels for an up close look. Along the banks, the tops of trees from the recently flooded cliffs are still visible, poking through the surface of the raised river.

Sampan ride

We travelled first through the Xiling Gorge, then the Wu Gorge, and finally the Qutang Gorge over the course of two gloriously sun-filled days. I can only imagine what it all looked like when the river was at its natural level and the Gorges truly towered over the river boats. But I was still very happy to get to see what is left.

Sunset over the Chang Jiang