Chongqing & Day 1/4 Yangtze River Cruise.
Chongqing's population as of 2015 is just over 30 million with an urban population of 18.38 million. Of these, approximately 8.5 million people live in Chongqing city proper.
Our great driver and guide, John, picked us up at Chongqing Airport, then drove us to Chongqing Zoo, for us to see the pandas, both the red and giant varieties.
We next visited Emperor Yu's Palace.
We then continued our driving tour of Chongqing.
Opera House.
People's Square and The Great Hall of the People.
We then enjoyed the famous Chongqing Hot Pot for dinner.
John then dropped us of at the port, for the beginning of our Yangtze River cruise (Day 1 of 4), on the Victoria Lianna - http://www.victoriacruises.com/itineraries/highlights/chongqing_to_yichang .
Yangtze River cruise - Day 2 of 4.
In the morning we stopped at Fengdu Ghost City -
constructed
on the Mingshan Hill by the river bank, it is so called because of the legend
which goes that about 1,700 years ago, two officials, Yin and Wang (the combination
of their surnames means "Ghost King ") became Taoists here and
eventually Immortals. Now with fantastic temples of underworld demons and gods,
it shows the Chinese ghost culture and is a place for punishing the devil and
awarding the good.
In the afternoon, we continued cruising north-east.
We cruised passed Shibaozhai, with its pagoda.
In the evening, the crew entertained us with their regional dress and dances.
Yangtze River cruise - Day 3 of 4.
Today we cruised through the 3 Gorges, on 3 different vessels.
Lesser
Three Gorges: indicating three separate valleys along the Daning River, the
chief tributary of the Yangtze River, they are called "Dragon-Gate
Gorge", "Misty Gorge" and "Dicui (Emerald) Gorge"
respectively. You can take a small boat to enjoy the spectacular views and
experience a water-borne sensation you have never had before when the natural
scenic wonders unfold in front of you with clear water flowing fast through the
gorges, sheer cliffs and steep mountains rising on either side to create one
fine art gallery.
A well-deserved foot massage.
Our wedding anniversary celebration.
Evening arrival at the Three Gorges Dam at Sandoupingzhen, for our lock transfer.
Evening entertainment by the crew.
Yangtze River cruise - Day 4 of 4.
In the morning, we disembarked for a tour of the Three Gorges Dam.
Here are ten facts about the Three Gorges Dam.
- The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River in China. In terms of the amount of electricity it generates, it’s the world’s largest power station.
- The Yangtze is the third longest river in the world, at almost 4,000 miles. It passes through some of China’s most spectacular scenery, some of which has been lost due to the Three Gorges Dam.
- The concrete and steel dam is 7,661 feet long, almost 600 feet high and used about 510,000 tons of steel – enough to build the Eiffel Tower sixty times. Some have claimed that the structure is visible from the moon, but this is not the case.
- The power generated by the 34 generators is enormous. It is equivalent to burning 25 million tons of crude oil or 50 million tons of coal.
- The reservoir that has been created measures 405 square miles in area and helps prevent flooding in a large area. It also allows huge ocean going freighters to sail into the heart of China.
- There have been ongoing environmental concerns about the Three Gorges Dam. At least 1.24 million people had to be relocated, and some plant species have been endangered.
- Over 100 towns and settlements were submerged when the dam was built. In addition, over 1,000 archaeological and historic sites were also submerged and lost.
- The Chinese government estimates the dam will have cost $30 billion once completed. However, it should only take about 10 years to fully recover the costs.
- Every year, about 265 million gallons of raw sewage are deposited in the Yangtze River. Once the dam is completed, it is believed by some that the sewage will collect in the reservoir.
- Although the dam can withstand a large earthquake, should it ever collapse, millions of people living downstream would be in danger. About 360 million people live within the watershed of the Yangtze River.
In the late morning, we continued cruising south-east on the Yangtze River.
In the afternoon, we arrived in Yichang, where we disembarked our ship, and transferred to the airport for our flight east to Shanghai.
