Xiling Gorge

Totaling 66 kilometers in length, Xiling Gorge lies between the mouth of the Xiangxi River in Zigui and Nanjinguan in Yichang, both in Hubei Province. However, it is divided into eastern and western sections by the 31-kilometer-wide Miaonan valley. The three gorges have many perilous shoals, the most treacherous being at Xietan in the Xiangxi River valley, and Xintan and Konglingtan in Xiling Gorge. In the past, navigating through XiTotaling 66 kilometers in length, Xiling Gorge lies between the mouth of the Xiangxi River in Zigui and Nanjinguan in Yichang, both in Hubei Province. However, it is divided into eastern and western sections by the 31-kilometer-wide Miaonan valley. The three gorges have many perilous shoals, the most treacherous being at Xietan in the Xiangxi River valley, and Xintan and Konglingtan in Xiling Gorge. In the past, navigating through Xiling was like risking one’s life because of its countless hidden reefs and shoals and swift-flowing water. “Xiling has numerous perilous shoals. Each and every one of them is enough to make the devil frown in despair,” as an old saying goes. Xintan is also called Qingtan. The reefs and shoals here are formed by landslides from the banks of the gorge.

The Xintan we see today consists of three shoals-the upper, middle and lower-and is one kilometer long with a drop of eight meters. The channel through Xintan in the low-water seasons of autumn and winter is a mere 30-60 meters in width. When negotiating through this part of the gorge in the past, upriver steamboats had to rely on the help of winching machines, while junks were manually pulled through by boat trackers. And sailing downstream was equally as dangerous, requiring consummate skill and in-depth knowledge of the channel. Any slight mishap would mean shipwreck and injury or death. Of all the shoals in Xiling, the most dangerous are perhaps those at Konlingtan, which an old saying describes as the “gate of hell”. Konglingtan is made up of four rocky reefs hidden in the water. The largest of the four, which is 220 meters long and 40 meters wide, lies smack in the middle of the stream, while the three smaller ones are situated near the mouths of two troughs that run through the larger reef. Only with years of experience in the area is safe navigation possible. Xiling is also feared for its whirlpools, particularly those appearing at Liantuo and Nanjinguan during flood seasons. The wild roaring of the whirlpools can be heard several kilometers away in the still of the night. Occurring once every ten minutes or so, and measuring up to 50 meters across and 3 meters deep in the center, they are deservedly feared by navigators of junks and steamboats alike. Efforts to facilitate navigation along the three gorges began in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and work has been stepped up since the 1950s. Over the last few decades, the channel through the three gorges has been dredged, clearing more than 100 shoals and establishing signal stations. This section is now navigable at all time day and night.ling was like risking one’s life because of its countless hidden reefs and shoals and swift-flowing water. “Xiling has numerous perilous shoals. Each and every one of them is enough to make the devil frown in despair,” as an old saying goes. Xintan is also called Qingtan. The reefs and shoals here are formed by landslides from the banks of the gorge. The Xintan we see today consists of three shoals-the upper, middle and lower-and is one kilometer long with a drop of eight meters. The channel through Xintan in the low-water seasons of autumn and winter is a mere 30-60 meters in width. When negotiating through this part of the gorge in the past, upriver steamboats had to rely on the help of winching machines, while junks were manually pulled through by boat trackers. And sailing downstream was equally as dangerous, requiring consummate skill and in-depth knowledge of the channel. Any slight mishap would mean shipwreck and injury or death. Of all the shoals in Xiling, the most dangerous are perhaps those at Konlingtan, which an old saying describes as the “gate of hell”. Konglingtan is made up of four rocky reefs hidden in the water. The largest of the four, which is 220 meters long and 40 meters wide, lies smack in the middle of the stream, while the three smaller ones are situated near the mouths of two troughs that run through the larger reef. Only with years of experience in the area is safe navigation possible. Xiling is also feared for its whirlpools, particularly those appearing at Liantuo and Nanjinguan during flood seasons. The wild roaring of the whirlpools can be heard several kilometers away in the still of the night. Occurring once every ten minutes or so, and measuring up to 50 meters across and 3 meters deep in the center, they are deservedly feared by navigators of junks and steamboats alike. Efforts to facilitate navigation along the three gorges began in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and work has been stepped up since the 1950s. Over the last few decades, the channel through the three gorges has been dredged, clearing more than 100 shoals and establishing signal stations. This section is now navigable at all time day and night.