FengDu

　　Fengdu is located on the northern bank of the　Yangtze 176 kilometers downstream from　Chongqing Known as the "Ghost City", Fengdu is　one of the most popular shore excursion sites for　cruise ships of all types sailing along the Yangtze　River.

 

　　The Ghost City of Fengdu is a collection of　Buddhist and Taoist temples set atop a hill known　as Ming Mountain and once overlooked the old　town of Fengdu, now submerged by the Three　Gorges Dam reservoir Fengdu's residents were　relocated in 2003 to a new, larger version of　Fengdu located across the Yangtze River on the　south bank. Where the old town of Fengdu had a　population of around 50,000 people, the new　relocation city is home to approximately 100,000.Fengdu District is a rich agricultural area that supports approximately 800,000 people living in the surrounding country-side.

 

　　Fengdu received its reputation as the"Ghost City" during the Eastern Han Dynasty(25 AD-220 AD). Two officials from the imperial court- Wang Fang Ping and Ying Chang Sheng-were bored with the political life in the court and came to Ming Mountain outside Fengdu City to practice Taoist teachings. Both of them later became immortals by carrying out self-cultivation. When combined together their surnames-Yin and Wang-sound very much like "King of Hell"in Chinese。

 

　　Hence the people began to call Fengdu the "Ghost City." This local legend became famous throughout China during the Ming Dynasty about 400 years ago when it was mentioned in the Chinese classic novel, A Journey to the West.

 

　　It is important to note that the "King of Hell"in China does not necessarily represent a devil or evil spirit, a comparison to the Greek god Hades is more appropriate To Chinese, the social structure in the Lrnderworld is exactly like that in the real world. In "Hell," spirits would go through a whole bureaucracy of underworld officials to

receive their final judgments. Those pure spirits would be rewarded and those sinful ones would be subject to severe punishments.

　　

　　Different punishments would be given for different kind of sins The temples built on Ming Mountain display punishing instruments and wild demon images, which vividly depict the Chinese people's imagination of Hell. Landmarks on the hill bear horrible names-Ghost Torturing Pass,Last Glance to Home Tower, No Way Out Bridge,and the River of Blood.

 

　　Until the 1950s and 1960s, river boats would　often anchor in midstream rather than moor close to Fengdu's banks for fear of ghosts. Ghosts flying out of the underworld and attaching themselves to

the stern of ships was another very real fear for many boat captains.

 

WuShan

　　Wushan is situated at the confluence of　the Yangtze and Daning rivers just above the　western entrance to the Wu (Witches) Gorge.The town has existed for over three thousand　years since the late Shang Dynasty(c.1600-1027 BC); Wushan's 30,000 residents　were relocated toa new Wushan, located　higher up the mountainside after the old town　was demolished and submerged in 2003 as a　result of the Th ree Gorges Dam reservoir.

　　The name of the town originates with Wu　Xian, a respected Tang Dynasty doctor in the　imperial court who is buried on Nanling　Mountain on the opposite (south) bank of the　Yangtze River. The town of Wushan serves　Wushan District, a mountainous region rich in　medicinal herbs that encompasses some of

the Three Gorges region's most breathtaking　scenic areas: the Daning River valley and half　of the Wu Gorge.

　　Wushan is the starting point for the popular　boat trips through the Lesser Gorges on the　Daning River and the Mini Gorges on the Madu　River. The Daning River winds its way 33　kilometers (20 miles) through the beautiful　Lesser Gorges; birds singing and monkeys　chattering can be heard and often seen from　both banks. The water is a deep, clear shade　of grean and forms a striking contrast to the

muddy, turgid waters of the Yangtze.

　　The first Lesser Gorge is known as Dragon　Gata Gorge. In this gorge,the river ranges　from only ten to thirty meters wide while the　cliffs on either bank soar to an average of 800　to 1000 meters. Mysterious plants and fungus of longevity (lingzhi) are said to grow high up on the cliff face.

　　Each gorge is separated by lush terracad　fields where a variety of crops grow during all　four seasons of the year.

　　In the Misty Gorge, a 2,000 year-old　"hanging"coffin can be seen suspended on a　precipice high up on the cliff-face. The coffin is　a relic left over from the Ba paopla who　inhabited the gorges region 3,500 t0 1,800　years ago. At one time hundredsof these　coffins could be seen throughoutthe Three

Gorges and the Daning River, suspended from　seemingly inaccessible areas on the cliff-sides.

　　The Emerald Graen Gorge, the farthest from　Wushan, is covered with lush bamboo groves　and foliage. Midway through the Emerald　Green Gorge, passengers can sometimes　disembark from their Daning River ferry boats　and board motorized sampans to sail through　the Mini Gorges of the Madu River.

 

The Three Gorges Dam Project

　　The Three Gorges Dam Project is the largest water conservancy project ever built. Operational in 2003 and fully completed in 2009, the massive Three Gorges Dam is located in the middle of the longest of the three Yangtze River gorges, the Xiling Gorge, at a site called Sandouping. The dam is designed to serve three main purposes: flood control, hydroelectric power production, and navigation improvement.

　　The Three Gorges Dam is 2,335 meters long, 185 meters high, 18 meters wide at the top and 130 meters
wide at the bottom. During the winter months, the reservoir water level reaches 175 meters above sea
level, approximately 110 meters (363 feet) above the original river level prior t0 2003. Duringthe summer months, the reservoirlevel is lowered to 146 meters above sea levelin orderto regulate and capture flood water. Throughoul Chinese history, floods along the Yangtze regularly threatened and brought devastation to the 15 million people who live in the rich agricultural region below the dam.

　　The Three Gorges Dam has created a 600 km (400 miles) long reservoir that stretches from the dam site dam site allthe way to Chongqing and has a storage capacity of39.9 billion cubic meters of water. The creation of this rese rvoir will necessitate the flooding of 570,000 hectares of farmland, thousands of villages and a number of small cities and townships in an area that affects 19 counties and districts. Approximately l.3 million peopla have been relocated to make way for the huge dam.

 

　　The cost of this construction project is estimated to amount to Y 230 billion yuan or $ 28 billion US dollars. The construction of the dam formally began in 1994.The dam's 26 generators are designed to generate 18,200 megawatts of electricity annually and open the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to barge fleets of up to 10,000 ton /s, increasing annual shipping from 10 million tons t0 50 million tons.

 

　　The Three Gorges Dam project, however, continues to be enormously controversial as many questions about the relocation of people, preservation of historical and archaeological sites, water pollution,accumulation of silt, and the structure's stability remain.