perilous Wushan Gorge was ,they decided to stay there to protect ships. As
time went by ,they transformed themselves into 12 peaks. The Goddess Peak ,
the most graceful of the 12 ,is said to have been yaoji ,the youngest
daughter of the Queen mother of the Western Heaven .Goddess Peak stands out
from the other peaks on the northern bank to be the first to greet the morning
sun and the last to bid it farewell ,hence its another name ,Viewing the glow
Peak. Seen at a distance ,it resembles the silhouette of a beautiful young
lady.
Down stream from the zigzagging Wuxia Gorge is Xiling Gorge which
stretches 78 kilometers eastward and the cliffs on either side rise to just
over 900 meters. Xiling Gorge is awesome with its dangerous rapids ,shoals ,
reefs ,sharp turns ,billowy whirlpools. The water at one point is so
turbulent that it seems to be boiling during the flood season. Xiling Gorge in
the east consists of several small gorges. On the top of another is a rock
that looks like a sword. On the crag of the north bank are two pieces of brown
rock ,which are named Bull's Liver and Horse' Lung ,whose shape they take.
Next does the Lantern Shadow Gorge ,which has four rocks ,resemble Monk Xuan
Zang and his three disciples———Monkey ,Piggy and Sandy in the classic
Chinese adventures of the four on their way to India to obtain Buddhist
scriptures.
Around the last bend of Xiling Gorge stretches a vast plain. The river
suddenly becomes wide here. Travelers on the Yangtze cruise may also visit
many sites of historical and scenic interest along the river banks including
the ruined of baidi Town and Precious Stone Village.
Everyone knows that the Yangtze Gorges are changing since the well—known
Three Gorges Dam Project is being built at Sabdouping ,Yichang ,Hubei
Province. The dam is 181 meters in height. Its construction investment comes
up to 203.9 billion rmb ,equals to 24.65 billion U.S. dollars. The installed
power generation capacity is expected to be 18.2 million kilo watts. With the
dam built ,the flood in the Yangtze River valley will be controlled ,
navigation improved besides the economic benefits. Tourism will be little
affected. Many cultural and historical relics are now being removed to a
higher ground before the rise of the water level approaches.
Ladies and Gentlemen ,the time has gone very quickly and your trip is
drawing to a close. It’s a pity that you cannot stay here any longer. Please
allow me ,then ,take this opportunity to thank you for your cooperation and
understanding ,and if you come back in the future ,I hope to see you again
and be your guide again.