On both sides of the bank, there are towering mountains, various shaped rocks, as well as green and luxuriant slopes where you can see flowing waterfalls and monkeys. Visitors can pick a few Three Gorges stones on the beach, appreciate the ancient hanging coffins in the caverns along the cliff, or even see the remains of ancient plank roads on the palisades on the shore.
Bawu Gorge
After Longmen Gorge, Bawu Gorge is the “Nest of Silver Rapids (Yinwo Tan)”, home to steep mountains and a rapid river. Dangerous shoals and rapids make the voyage quite perilous. The jagged rocks at the 10-kilometer-long Tieguan Gorge forms a set of natural sculptures full of fun and liveliness. On the eastern cliffs, there is a glittering long rock that resembles a Chinese dragon returning from heaven whose head has already entered into the hole. On the opposite hillside is a water-eroded cave, at the mouth of which sits a round yellow stone resembling a tiger trying to free himself from the hole. On the west cliff are stalactites hung upside down like two horses whose heads have gotten into the mountain with their tails and hind legs left outside, hence their names Mount Longjin (dragon entering into the cave), Mount Huchu (tiger coming out), and Mount Magui (horse returning back). In addition, there is a black hanging coffin in the crevices 4-5 meters above the water surface on the east bank of the river, which is commonly known as the "iron coffin", hence its name Tieguan (iron coffin) Gorge. According to research, the "iron coffin", commonly believed as a Chongqing person’s suspended coffin from the Warring States Period, was not cast in iron. It got the name just because the coffin is dark in color. Jingzhou Dam, 25 kilometers northeast of Wuxi, holds the best-preserved suspending coffins, including 24 iron coffins.
Dicui Gorge
Dicui Gorge is the longest canyon of the Lesser Three Gorges, which features both majestic and exquisite scenery. It is 20 kilometers in length and stretches far away with rolling hills.
A verdant scene can be seen everywhere in the Lesser Three Gorges, with river streams running crystal clear between hills and valleys.
The main scenic spots are Curtain Waterfall Cave, Xianjiao Lin (Fairy Banana Tree Forest), Buddha Sculpture on Rock, Tian Quan Fei Yu (Rain from Heavenly Spring), Luo's Stockade Village, Sheep Cliff, Chi Bi Mo Tian (Red Cliff Towering to the Sky), Suspending Coffins and Feiyun (Scudding Clouds) Cave. Dicui Gorge gives the fullest expression of the beauty of the Lesser Three Gorges. “Chi Bi Mo Tian” is a range of cliffs reaching up to hundreds of meters straight into the sky. Glittering in the sunlight, it is a veritable red cliff.
The Daning River Mini Three Gorges features idyllic peaks, deep and remote scenery, perilous shoals, and beautiful stones. City residents will feel like they are traveling in a mythical world when visiting.
