1984 Trip on Yangzi - Chongqing to Shanghai

37. Qutang Gorge

Immediately below Baidi City is Kui Men, the entrance to the first of the three gorges of the Yangzi River. The 8 kilometer long Qutang Gorge was also known by early western travelers as the Wind Box Gorge. It is the shortest but grandest of them all. The gorge's widest point is 150 meters, "The limestone peaks reach to 1,200 meters high, and the river rushes swift as an arrow through the narrow entrance, pounding the perpendicular faces of the gorge." This gorge is a particularly dangerous stretch during high water levels and has been known to rise up to 72 meters. In the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) chains were strung across the river as an "iron lock" to prevent passage of enemy boats. In the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) two iron pillars nearly two meters high were erected on the north side and seven chains, some 250 meters long, were used to block the river passage. Later this was used to enforce the collection of taxes on boats traveling down the river.