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Tourist outfits have been tolling the Three Gorges? death knell with see-it-while-you-still-can itineraries for some time now, but despite the disappearance of some townhips beneath the rising waters there is still a host of things to see and do here at one of China?s most famous tourist attractions

Shashi

This ancient port was first opened to foreign trade as a result of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of 1895. From here it is also possible to see the nearby walled city of Jingzhou, whose 16km wall is still standing. Also visit the Jingzhou Museum, which houses many artifacts from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

Yichang

Yichang is the site of the Three Gorges Project and it?s possible to view the dam from several different points. Other things worth seeing include the Chinese Sturgeon Museum, Chexi, a rustic rural area where visitors can see local farmers produce everything from paper to rice wine to pottery, often employing waterwheels. The Yichang Museum is also worth a visit.

Xiling Gorge

It takes 45 minutes to sail through the winding 75 kilometers of the longest of the three gorges, with its craggy limestone peaks. The water is quite smooth, and it?s hard to believe that before the rocks here were blasted away in the 1950s that this was an area known for treacherous rapids that claimed many lives each year.

Zigui

Birthplace of Qu Yuan, one of China?s most loved poets, in 340 B.C. Although the old town has been submerged, many of the historic sites formerly situated at the old town have been, or are being, moved to a new location with the same name.

Shennong Stream

Many cruise ships stop here for a trip up the Shennong Stream, a tributary of the Yangtze. A ferry twill take you up the Shennong to Bamboo Gorge, the point where you will transfer to the small peapod boats, thus named called because they resemble half of a pea pod and the dozen or so people inside the peas. These small boats are rowed upstream by five members of the Tujia minority. The Changjiang Cruise Overseas Travel Co. runs occasional trips to the nearby Shennongjia Nature Reserve for ski enthusiasts.

Daning River

Many cruise ships stop here to allow their passengers to board smaller boats for a relaxing trip up the picturesque Daning River, also known as the Lesser Three Gorges.

Wu Gorge

The second of the three gorges, Wu Gorge, or Witch Gorge, with its 12 peaks, is the deepest and most mysterious of the gorges. It?s named after a legendary wizard that is said to have blown a 25-mile hole through the mountains to make way for the river to flow. Passage takes about 90 minutes.

Qutang Gorge

This is the shortest gorge, just 8 km long, but also the most splendid, with limestone peaks rising out of the water 1,240 meters into the sky.

Baidi Cheng (White Emperor City)

One used to have to negotiate several hundred steps to reach Baidi Mountain, but the rise in the water level, which turned the mountain into an island, making the journey much easier.

Zhang Fei Temple

Zhang Fei Temple in Yunyang was disassembled and shifted stone-by-stone from the south bank to a new home on higher ground on the north bank. The original temple was damaged in flooding in 1870, and so the present structure dates back to the 19th century.

Wanxian

This old town, guarded by two nine-storey pagodas, is famous for its cane and rattan products.

Shibaozhai

A protective dam around the area has created an artificial island and so cruise ships can still dock at this site. The temple was built during the reign of Qianlong (1736-96), and the pavilion was added in 1819.

Fengdu

Fengdu, more popularly known as Ghost City, is now little more than a pile of rubble, most of it having already been torn down in preparation for when the water will rise to 175 meters in 2009, but the temple sits above this final water level. The chairlift that once whisked visitors up to the temple at the top of Minshan has been dismantled, but the walk is actually a pleasant 20-minute hike. The statues here are different from what we normally see in traditional Chinese temple, part-person, part-animal representations of the folks you?re likely to meet in the afterworld. It?s said that in ancient times that Fengdu was a pilgrimage site for the deceased, who were said to stumble through here like Chinese zombies for their final judgement. After drinking the ?tea of forgetfulness,? their memories would be erased and they would return to the living.

Chongqing

The final destination is Chongqing. This once dusty metropolis has remade itself into one of the more interesting cities of China. After being sliced off from Sichuan province to become a special municipality in 1997, Chongqing overnight became the biggest city in the world. Sleek high-rise buildings today tower over modern shopping malls, sitting on land where rickety wooden structures stood just a few years ago. And broad promenades and hip restaurants, cafes and bars are springing up along renovated riverside areas that were dreary just a few years ago. The ?Mountain City,? which spreads across hills overlooking the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, also offers a lot of history for visitors.



Into the Gorges