Xiling Gorge
Xiling Gorge begins at the Xiangxi (Fragrant Stream) in the west and ends at Nanjingguan Pass in the east.  It is known for its numerous hidden rocks, dangerous shoals and turbulent rapids. Xiling Gorge consists of 4 small gorges and several dangerous shoals: the Gorge of the Sword and Book on the Art of War, the Gorge of the Cow's Liver and Horse's Lung, the Kongting Gorge and the Gorge of the Shadow Play; The Blue Shoal, the Discharge Shoal, the Kongling Shoal and the Yaocha Shoal. Since the Gezhouba Dam Project was completed, the turbulent has been smoothed down while the scenery along the gorges remains intact.
It is said that the Gorge of the Sword and Book on the Art of War wan place where Zhuge Liang (a statesman and strategist in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), who became a symbol of resourcefulness and wisdom in Chinese folklore), Prime Minister of Shu State of the Three Kingdoms period, had stored his grain and a book on the art of war. The Gorge of the Cow Liver and the Horse's Lung is on the north bank of the Yangtze River. On the cliff there are 4 or 5 yellow stone" slabs shaped like cow's livers.  Above them visitors can see half of a rock there in the form of a horse's lung. The Kongling Gorge used to be full of hidden rocks, which result in rapids.  On the riverbank of Kongling Gorge stands a set of rocks, which looks like a person leading a cow.  This small section is called the Cow Gorge with the person coloured black and the cow coloured yellow.  The Shadow Play Gorge is situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River. The four rocks jutting up into the sky resemble  four  characters  in  the  Chinese  mythological  novel "Pilgrimage to the West . "When viewed from a distance, Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy and the Buddhist Monk silhouetted against the setting sun are really in a natural shadow play, hence the name.
Crashing through narrow Nanjinguan (Southern Crossing) Pass, the eastern gorge exit, the river suddenly widens to approximately 2,000 metres and a vast plain comes into view. Passengers will flock to the sides of the boat to see Gezhouba, the first dam built on the Yangtze River.  The project, completed in 1981, was China's largest hydropower installation. Tourists will admire the mammoth structure and watch the steamer enter the ship lock, lowering it scores of metres and then sailing on.