Plan your Yangzte River Cruise? Yichang is definitely an important port city along the river cruise as well as a must see place on your Yangtze river trip. Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People’s Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan.
Yichang is a city with a god-given geographic location and natural resources. You will find grand mountains, historical relics, and water conservancy projects, fused by modern architecture, making an ideal place for holidays and leisure.
No. 01: Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province. The dam body was completed in 2006.
It is a dam one and a half miles wide and more than 600 feet high that will create a reservoir hundreds of feet deep and nearly 400 miles long. The project is China’s Three Gorges Dam, and it has already been the subject of great international scrutiny. It is being called the largest construction project in China since the Great Wall.
Entrance Fee: CNY 105
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
How to get there: take Buses No. 4, 10, 21, 100 or 101 to Yemingzhu Zhuanpan, then transfer the Tourist Bus to Three Gorges Dam
Situated on the islet in Xiaoxita in Yichang, Chinese Sturgeon Museum is part of the Chinese Sturgeon Institution of China which is using artificial breeding techniques to try to preserve this endangered species.The Chinese Sturgeon is an animal strictly protected by the Chinese government.
It has a history of 140 million years, and is thought to have lived at the same time as dinosaurs. That is why it is called a “living fossil”. The sturgeon can grow up to 4 meters (13ft) in length, weighs up to more than 1000 pound, ranking the biggest of all species of sturgeon in the world and the biggest animal in the Yangtze River.
Entrance Fee: CNY 48
Opening Hours: 07:00-18:30 (May to Oct.); 08:00-17:30 (normal days)
How to get there: take Buses No. 4, 100 or 101 to Chinese Sturgeon Museum
No. 03: Qu Yuan Ancestral Hall
Qu Yuan Ancestral Hall, also called Qingliegong Ancestral Hall, is located 1.5 kilometers to Zigui County, Yichang City at the north bank of Yangtze River.
Qu Yuan, Chu person of Warring States, was the earliest famous poet in our country. Qu Yuan Ancestral Hall includes entrance, main hall as well as left and right side hall, etc.
The entrance has the work place with a style of four columns and three buildings, with four characters “Qing Lie Gong Ci” written in the middle and “Gu Zhong” and “Liu Fang” on two sides. In the corridor, there are many monuments that are engraved with the poems which were written by Qu Yuan and the ancient poets and calligraphists that sing to praise Qu Yuan.
Entrance Fee: CNY 30
Opening Hours: 08:30-18:00
How to get there: you can rent a car to get there
No. 04: Gezhouba Dam
The Gezhouba Dam or Gezhouba Water Control Project, on the Yangtze River is located in the western suburbs of Yichang City in central China’s Hubei province.
Construction started on December 30, 1970 and completed on December 10, 1988.It takes pride in having a generating capacity of 2.71 GW along with three ship locks, 27 gates of the spillway, no flowing dam on both banks and two power stations that generate 14,100 GWh of electricity annually. The navigation lock No. 2 on the third channel was, when built, among the 100 largest in the world.
Entrance Fee: CNY 20
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: take Buses 3 or 9 from the downtown area
No. 05: Xiling Gorge
Xiling Gorge is located in Zigui County and Yiling District of Hubei Province, from Xiangxi down to the western suburbs of Yichang. Xiling Gorge is the largest and farthest downstream of the Three Gorges.
Xiling Gorge is mainly composed of smaller gorges and dangerous shoals. From west to east, there are four gorges: the Military Books and Precious Sword Gorge, the Ox and Horse Lungs Gorge, Kongling Gorge, and Lantern Shadow Gorge, and some dangerous shoals such as Qingtan, Xietan, Xintan and Konglingtan.
Entrance Fee: CNY 50
Opening Hours: 07:00-19:00
How to get there: take Special Tourist Bus 10 to get there
No. 06: Sanyou Cave
Sanyou Cave is on the cliff of the Xiling Mountain 10 kilometers northwest of Yichang and near the Xiling Gorge. The cave is about 30 meters deep, 23 meters in width and is about 9 meters high.
The cave got its name after the visit of the three most famous poets during Tang Dynasty: Bai Juyi, Bai Xingjian and Yuan Zhen. The scenery of Sanyou Cave is lovely and was once reputed as “the fairyland” by ancient people. It attracted many people who went by Yichang in history. Sanyou Cave is in the sheer cliff and is cool in summer and warm in winter.
Entrance Fee: CNY 78
Opening Hours: 07:00-18:00
How to get there: take Bus No. 10 from Yiling Square of Yichang
No. 07: Gaolan Scenic Area
Gaolan Scenic Area, which is located at Xingshan County, Yichang City, Hubei Province, is 30 kilometers away from Xiling Gorge. This scenic area takes the convergence of Gaolan River and Xiayang River as the center, with an area of over 20 square kilometers.
The scenery concentrates on a 7.5-km-long ravine, tree-clad peaks of odd shape on two sides. In the ravine runs a limpid brook.The hills here are verdant covered by lush trees.
Entrance Fee: CNY 20
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: take long-distance bus from Yichang to Xingshan, and get off at Lianghekou Station
No. 08: Former Residence of Wang Zhaojun
Wang Zhaojun was one of the most famous Four Beauties in ancient China alongside Xishi, Diaochan and Yang Yuhuan. The Former Residence of Wang Zhaojun is located in Baoping Village, some 55 km from the Xingshan County of Yichang.
Nearby the village gate is the former dwelling of Wang Zhaojun, which had fallen into disrepair but which has since been restored to its original glory. The house itself is tall, full of rooms with high ceilings, and with winding corridors. In Zhaojun’s hometown, there is a Zhaojun Well with clear water and an ancient stone tablet standing around.
ntrance Fee: CNY 30
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: take the shuttle bus from the downtown area of Yichang to Xingshan County
No. 09: Golden Lion Cave
Situated at the mouth of the Xiling Gorge, the limestone cave is 10.5 miles from Xiaoxita, Yichang County. It is 6,080 feet deep and there are three layers.
The cave is one million years old and the limestone has taken on grotesque forms.A piece shaped like a lion attracts particular attention and is very lifelike. The cave is known as the number one cave of the world. There are various natural stone formations such as stalactites, petrophone, and the most distinctive one is stone screen, which has divided the main hall into some halls of different size.
Entrance Fee: CNY 60
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:30
How to get there: take a bus at Yiling District, Yichang City
No. 10: Jiuwan Stream
Jiuwan Stream is situated at south bank of Xiling Gorge, west of the new county of Zigui, 20 kilometers away from the Three Gorges Dam.
With the length of 42.3 kilometers, it covers the area of 514.5 square kilometers. The average depth of the Jiuwan Stream is 0.8 meters, and the width of it ranges from 40 to 710 meters.
It was once the place where the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan used to give lectures and planted orchid. The Jiuwan Stream Scenic Area is famous for its fancy mountains, clear water, glanderous cliffs, odd stones and famous flowers. It is the top scenic area in Three Gorges Dam which offers exploration, relaxation and sightseeing.
Entrance Fee: CNY 180
Opening Hours: 09:00-16:00
How to get there: There are shuttle buses from Yichang City to Jiuwan Stream
