• Yangtse Three Gorges

• General Overview

  Stretching 6300km, the Yangtse (also known as Yangtze or Yangzi) China's longest river and the world's third longest river, acts as a natural divide between North and South China. Originating from the Tibetan Plateau it weaves it's way through China towards Shanghai before emptying into the East China Sea.

  There are varying accounts of the origin of the name Yangtse, or Chang Jiang in Chinese, literally Long river, the most common of which derives from the YangZi river crossing, which missionaries and traders misinterpreted to mean the name of the river, rather than just the crossing, and consequently the river became known as the YangZi River.

  Attractions For Visitors

  The Three Gorges Cruise is a feature on most tours to China, normally spending 3 or 4 nights sailing along the Yangtse (or Yangtze) river. There are different sections and different methods of seeing the Yangtse river, however the most popular tourist route is the section from ChongQing to YiChang/WuHan (upstream or downstream).

  Taking such a sightseeing river cruise will ensure that you see the Three Gorges during the day, and also have shore excursions along the way, compared to the local ferry's which will simply take you from A to B.

  What's it really like

  Let's talk about the most popular method of visiting the Yangtse river, a sightseeing river cruise. If you've ever cruised before, then it's similar to other cruises, only in a Chinese Style. Below provides a few more details on several aspects of the boat and experiences.

  Sightseeing is varied between shore excursions and sailing. Journeys on most sightseeing boats have accompanying guides, ranging from the river guide who introduces the river itself and provides commentaries on important sections, geology, geography and other interesting issues, to guides on shore excursions who provide a more detailed introduction of the site you're visiting.

  Food on the boat, normally served buffet or banquet style, is often a blend of Chinese and Western allowing a taste to suit everybody. Whilst drink, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, can be found in the bar ¨C which almost every boat has.

  Entertainment on the boat is more often than not provided by the catering and cleaning staff who use their spare time to rehearse dances and plays that not only introduce Chinese culture but also provide the evening entertainment for guests. Occasionally guests are invited to perform something from their culture.

  As with any cruise, prices are naturally more expensive than on the shore. Most boats have a bar, souvenir shops, beauty salons, etc. Concerning prices¡­ Although not a common practice in China (outside of the tourism industry), tipping on the sightseeing boats has become common practice and the individual boats will advise accordingly.

  Don't be surprised to learn that the Yangtse river has already been flooded. What visitors see now is a glimpse of what life is like after the flooding. Flooding began in 2003 and life on the Yangste, as it has been for thousands of years, began to change with rising waters. Houses disappeared, villages vanished, bridges were submerged and cities were demolished and rebuild on elsewhere.

  Shore excursions vary from boat to boat, however normally include one land excursion, one river excursions and a trip to the Three Gorges Dam Project.

  The Three Gorges Dam

  Undoubtedly the main attraction of a Yangtse River Cruise is the opportunity to see the Three Gorges Dam Project. Billed as the largest dam in the world, it actually isn't the tallest nor the widest, however in terms of sheer scale of the project it's deemed to be the largest.

  Over 2km in length and over 100m high, the Three Gorges Dam, a single structure holds back a body of water stretching back over 600 kilometers. To put this in to context¡­ imagine a body of water, 10 football fields in width; up to 100 meters high, stretching back about half the length of the UK... that's the body of water created by the Yangtse Three Gorges Dam!

  The following China holidays include a cruise through the Yangtse Three Gorges:

  • Yangtse River Explorer
  • Yunnan And Yangtse
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