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Pouring down from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the 10-thousant-li (1 li = 0.5 kilometer ¾ tr. ) Yangzi River abruptly takes its first turn to the north at Shigu Town of Lijiang, and thus forming the famous First Bend on the Yangzi River. Reared by verdant mountains, Shigu Town has always been the fortress to be seized by the strategists. In the 13th century, Kublai Khan directed his Mongol troops to cross the Yangzi River right from here during his South Expedition. The huge stone drum carved and erected in Shigu Town at the river bank is the witness of the vicissitudes of the times. The smooth river banks are lined with willow trees behind which are a myriad of peasant houses. The lyric scenes is really the paradise for visitors. Newest result yielded by scholars show the Jinsha (Golden Sand) River valley around the First Bend was precisely the site where Emperor Yu of the Xia Dynasty fought dauntlessly against flood disasters. |
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Cutting aside the Jade Dragon and Haba snow mountains, the Jinsha River had carved the world's deepest valley ¾ the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The Gorge is 17 kilometers in total length, and water drop between the upper and lower reaches of the Gorge is as large as 200 meters. Snowcapped peaks on both banks of the Gorge are over 3,000 meters above the river surface, showing breath-taking magnificence. At the entrance of the Gorge on the upper reach of the Jinsha River, there lies a gigantic piece of rock in the middle of river. The river water rushes by in the 30-meter wide channels on both sides of the rock, sending away thunderous roars and snowy waves and mists. Legendary tales say that tigers often take foot on this huge rock when they leap to the other bank of the river, and hence the name "Tiger Leaping Gorge".The Tiger Leaping Gorge could be sub-divided into the upper, middle and lower sections. The 17-kilometer-long Gorge is dotted with 12 dangerous shoals, over which the river rushes along in roaring torrents, making people's hair stand on ends. The narrowest river channel is only 30 meters across, in which huge rocks lie under the river surface, stirring up sky-piercing columns of waves. The heart-stirring scene is rarely seen elsewhere in the world. The Tiger Leaping Gorge has been conquered by brave rafters who risked their lives to drift the Yangzi River, and their heroic expedition was known all over the world. Recently, 12 precious sites of ancient cliff paintings were discovered on the precipice along the Jinsha River, and this newest discovery has added wonder to the First Gorge of the World. |
