长江三峡的英文介绍(完整)

The Yangtze Three GorgesThe Yangtze Three Gorges, one of the ten most famous tour sites of China, proudly stands at the top of the best 40 in Chinas hottest scenic spots. Meanwhile, it also enjoys the reputation for one of the best 35 Chinas king scenic spots and 16 special touring routes. Your steps into Yichang will take you to the greatest paintings of the elegant Three Gorges gallery. Though the Three Gorges Project reservoir began reserve water, the three gorges stand still with their elegance and verve. The Xiling Gorge is still deep and serene; the Wu Gorge is still beautiful; while the Qutang Gorge is still steep and magnificent. At the same time, the new Three Gorges bring you infinite new views. New sceneries created by the reservoir will add extra mysteries to you and make your trip rich and colorful.Yichang, as the door of the Three Gorges, is the optimal start place for the marvelous and attractive tour through Three Gorges.The Three Gorges consist of the Xiling Gorge, the Wu Gorge and the Qutang Gorge. And they extend over 193 km from Daidi Castle in the west, Fengjie county of Chongqing municipality, to Nanjin Guan of Yichang city in the east, Hubei province. Its the prime landscape along the Yangtze River, as well as the treasure of the China mountains and rivers. Through ages, the charming gorges have admired thousands of foreign and Chinese tourists whole heartedly.Now, distinguished friends, lets start the amazing trip through the Three Gorges.Xiling GorgeThe elegant Xiling Gorge starts from Guandu Kou of the Zigui County in the west, and ends to Nanjin Guan of Yichang in the east. Its total length of 114 km ranks the longest in the three gorges, among which 66 km is for gorges (31 km above dam, 35km below dam). The name “Xiling”, standing for “West Mountains”, came from its specific situation as its situated in the west of Yichang, and especially, its the west border of the ancient Chu State. These gorges become famous for dangerous and spectacular location. In Xiling Gorge, there are 3 shoals (Xie Shoal, Qing Shoal and Kongling Shoal) and 4 gorges (Dengying Gorge, Huangniu Gorge, Niugan Mafei Gorge, and Bingshu Baojian Gorge). Series of gorges and shoals make the water flow speedy and complex here. Ouyang Xiu of the North Song Dynasty praised “the mountains and water of Xiling are the finest under heaven”. Marshal Chen Yi of P.R.C also praised “Xiling is the finest in the Three Gorges, and everyone will forget to return for thick delight”. From the ancient times, the boat trackers kept their living here for generations, dragging the boats upstream and fighting against the riptide. An ancient idiom saying “Boats hard to sail in Xiling, even ghosts are afraid of reefs” is the vivid description. After the completion of the Gezhouba Hydropower Station, a big reservoir came into being in the upstream, which raised the water line and submerged those dangerous shoals. Additionally, after the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China, the government dredged up the river way several times and destroyed many dangerous reefs. Thanks to all these actions, we can enjoy our safe and leisure touring through these beautiful gorges today.Nanjin Guan (the Nanjin Col)Nanjin Guan is the start point of the Yangtze Three Gorges, as well as the boundary separating of the upstream and midstream of the Yangtze River. After the ship sailing upstream through the Nanjin Guan, the width of the Yangtze River becomes sudden narrow from 2000 m to 300 m. It tells the beginning of your colorful tour in the beautiful painting of the Three Gorges.Dengying Gorge (the Shadowgraph Gorge)12 km west to Nanjin Guan, we will reach the Dengying Gorge (the Shadowgraph Gorge), which is also called “Mingyue Gorge (the Bright Moon Gorge)”. Its a short but extraordinary gorge. The walls of the gorge are smooth and clean, just like having been polished carefully by Natures engineering. Being mirrored by the sky, the walls look like a lifelike traditional Chinese landscape painting. If you get here at night, the landscape in the moon light will show you a dreamland beyond words description. Thats the origin of another name, “the Bright Moon Gorge”. The Dengying Gorge, which means “the Shadowgraph Gorge”, got its name from the figure of the mountains. In the south bank, four peculiar stones look like four characters in the famous Chinese legend “Record of a journey to the west”. In sunset, when we look at them from the gorge, they are vivid like telling the story by the shadowgraph. So, the gorge here is also called “the Shadowgraph Gorge”.Li Siguangs Tectonic FormationGet to Liantuo in the north bank of the Xiling Gorge by ship, you will find the geological section formed in the Cambrian period. In the Three Gorges, you can find kinds of mature stratum formed in every geological age from 2.5 billion years ago to 1 million years ago. The world renowned Li Siguangs Tectonic Formation (the tectonic formation was found by the Chinese geologist, Mr. Li Siguang) was found here in the Xiling Gorge, which attracted strong interest from the world geology field. The formation was recognized as “the natural geological museum”, and “the living fossil” of the geological mechanical formation. You would obviously feel that time has brought great changes to the world when you visit the Geology Park and the Li Siguangs Tectonic Formation.Xianren Bridge (the Sages Bridge)A few minutes while the ship goes west, in the north bank, we will see the Xianren Bridge (the Sages Bridge), a natural stone 1-meter-wide bridge spanning 15 meters on the mountain, where is the best place for enjoying the beauties of the Xiling Gorge. When you stand there, everything in miles of the Xiling Gorge will be taken in a glance. Its said legendarily that once upon a time, a fairy fell in love with a woodchopper. But, its impossible for the woodchopper to reach the paradise to meet the fairy. Then, the fairy threw down her band of the skirt and made the bridge to lead her lover. A poet of the Song Dynasty, Tian Jun wrote a poem for the bridge “Clouds mist on it; river roars under it; Boat stop here and ask; why cant see fairies, but the empty bridge.” The statue of flying fairy was built to memory this lovely fairy.Huangniu Gorge (the Bulls Gorge)Sailing 10 km upstream to the west, we will see a row of mountain crest in the south bank. 9 strips of green ridges droop downward sinuously, just liking 9 dragons rushing down to the river. The mountain crest is the Huangniu Cliff (the Bulls Cliff), the valley under is the Huangniu Gorge (the Bulls Gorge).The watercourse though the Huangniu Gorge zigzags like the intestine, and is full of interlaced submerged reefs. The river water swirls like the boiling water to make the sailing dangerous. “Morning set off in Huangniu, night anchor in Huangniu, 3 days and 3 nights are not enough for passing through Huangniu, days and nights, endless sailing drives hair grizzle.” An ancient ballad is the best description about the hard shipping condition in this part.Why the gorge here was name “Huangniu (the Bull)”? It came from an ancient story about Xia Yus contribution to flood controlling. Its said that the God sent Xia Yu to the human world to dredge the river and prevent the flood. When he led people to excavate the river and reach here, the God sent a magic bull to help him. One day morning, a woman came here to sent water and food to workers. When she reached the river, she happened to see a giant and strong bull colliding the mountains. The mountain collapsed and the earth quaked like thunder storm. Her screaming stampeded the bull and made it jump off the mountain, but left its image in the mountain walls. The Chinese ancient strategist, Mr. Zhuge Liang had a sentence of description in his “Travel Notes in Huangling Temple”: “when I pored over the mountain walls across the river, I found magic head portrait image with vivid hair and eyebrows, remarkably true to life. A flag in the front, and a bull on the right side, just like someone painted it here.” Of course, the story was the peoples beautiful imagination about conquering the nature. And, the “Bull” is the best indication standing for humans greatest power in conquering the world. In order to memory the bulls contribution, ancient people built a temple here to fete it.As a matter of fact, the giant painting is the wall is the particular in Three Gorges. About 400 million years ago, here is still ocean. And 200 million years ago, the granite magma from earth interior movement formed the now Huangniu Mountain and Zhongbao Island. The granite here contains kinds of pigments, showing different colors. White is the main color for Huangniu Mountain, and decorating with some black, therefore forms the big wall paintings. A Chinese ancient poet Li Daoyuan said: “the image at the highest of the rock wall looks like a man lowing a bull, back man and yellow bull”. This vivid natural image has attracted countless tourists of all ages, and fingered out of the world most particular.Zhongbao Island-the Site of the Three Gorges DamAfter ship passes the Xiling Yangtze Bridge, we will reach the dam site of the Three Gorges Project. Years ago, it was a rectangle shaped island called “Zhongbao Island”, with an area of about 0.15 km2. Former premier, Mr. Zhou Enlai chose it from several schemes and set it as the dam site.As a magic island, it has never been submerged in histories, no matter how heavy the floods were. According to the records, the heaviest flood happened in 1870 did not cover this island even the Huangling Temple in a higher place was submerged. Up till now, there is not any convincible explanation on the phenomenon of “the island goes up along the rising river”However, the island is disappeared since the Project was under construction.We are now going through the “Open Channel of Headrace”. Its about 3410 m in length, with the width of 350 m, sharing 1/3 of the total width of the Yangtze River here. Its one of the main constructions of the first phase of the Three Gorges Project. Since June of 2003, ships began to pass the dam through the double-line 5-stage ship locks (for ships over 10 thousand ton). The huge construction at the right side is the Three Gorges Dam. Its the concrete gravity dam, with a height of 185 m. And the total length of the dam top is 2309 m. The normal water level of the reservoir will be 175 m. The total capacity of the generators installed is 18.20 million kW, while the total annual capacity will be more than 84.7 billion kWh. Ladies and gentlemen, at our left side, we can see the “first city of Three Gorges Immigrants”, the new town site of Zigui County.High Gorge Mountains and the Reservoir LakeThe high gorge mountains and the reservoir lake are the new imposing scenic spots brought to the Yangtze Three Gorges by the construction of the Three Gorges Project. From June 1 to 15, 2003, when the initial water reserve completed, the water level in the upstream of the dam increased to 135 m, much higher than the 98 m level before May 31. The reservoir capacity increased from 2.3 billion to 12.3 billion cubic meters. At 22:00 of September 20, 2006, the reservoir began to raise water level from 135.5 m to 156 m, with extra reservoir capacity of 11 billion cubic meters. At that time, the Three Gorges went on to initial operation period from the cofferdam period, with comprehensive functions on flood control, electricity generation and ship traffic. Here, Yichang, will begin to show you the scenery of the reservoir lake in the high mountains. And here will be the right place to bring you the best view of the reservoir and the mountains. The reservoir will force water to flow back to the place where Fengdu Count located, forming a 436 km long reservoir in the watercourse in the upstream of the dam. The width of the river in many broad valleys will increase to about 3000 m from 1000 m before the water reserve. The Yangtze River will offer you a new face with the smooth reservoir lake instead of the former torrential flow. Lots of hidden scenic spots will show their charms to the tourists. Those new added sceneries like valleys, lakes, islands, watercourses, and water-eroded caves will combine with the previous gorge views to form new contents for your trip to new Three Gorges. According to the incomplete statistics, after the initial water reserve, new lakes and islands will come into being, such as the Zigui Lake, the Baidi Lake, the Baidi Island, the Shuangjiang Island (the Dual River Island), and the Hulu Island (the Calabash Island) etc. Vast and immensurable, nature abounds in changes, the beautiful lakes and mountains will paint a new magnificent scene in the new Three Gorges.Recently, more sightseeing platforms have been built around the Three Gorges Project dam area, such as the Tanzi Ling (Peak Crock), the Extreme Top on the Huangniu Rock (the Bulls Rock), the first mountain top at the head of the reservoir-the Phoenix Mountain, the Nver Ling (the Daughters Mountain Top) and etc. All these viewing points provide you the all time, multi view, different height, and omnidirectional sightseeing experience of the dam, the reservoir lake and the high mountains.Kongling GorgeWhen leaving the Three Gorges dam 10 km behind, well reach a steep gorge, the Kongling Gorge. The cloud-capped mountains in the gorge look like sharpened by knives and axes. This gorge is also called “the Kongleng Gorge (empty and cold gorge)”, “the Tongling Gorge (Through Mountains Gorge)”. Its about 2.5 km in length. According to records in ancient books, ships had to be emptied to ensure its safe sailing in the torrent here. In the middle of this narrow watercourse, theres a shoal full of many dangerous submerged reefs, called “the Kongling Shoal”. Ancient people said “the Qing Shoal and the Xie Shoal are not the real shoal, only the Kongling is the gate to the hell”. Many years ago, there was a big rock in the middle of the water, showing the warning words “Come towards me”. When getting here, ships must go straight ahead towards the Rock; with the help of backstroke water bounced by the rock, ship would skim rock and pass through in safety. But, if you ignored the warning, and intended to steer away from the big rock, the water would certainly rush you to the rock causing accident. In 1900, a foreign ship crashed here because the captain had no sense on this warning, and even ignored the advice from the guide. After the liberation in 1949, the big rock was destroyed. Later, the successful launch of Gezhouba Hydropower Project raised the water and deeply merged those dangerous shoals. Although we lose the experience of the nervous and excite sailing here, we obtain the safe transportation.Niugan Mafei Gorge (Gorge of Bulls Lever & Horses Lung)Out of the Kongling Gorge, we will reach the Niugan Mafei Gorge in a short while. The gorge is about 4.5 km in length. In the conflux of Jiuwan River (explored for driftage) and the Yangtze River, there were several brown rocks overlapped in the cliff on the mountain in the north bank. They looked like the Bulls lever. Beside them, there was another lung shaped big stone called “the Horses Lung”. Because these funny rocks, the gorge was named as Gorge of Bulls Lever & Horses Lung (the Niugan Mafei Gorge). Actually, these rocks were made of calcium carbonate by the groundwater.As years past by, the Niugan Rock is still intact, while the Mafei Rock has lost its under part. It was shot by British warship in 1900 when China was still governed by the Qing Dynasty. Today, it is still telling the crimes done by the old British imperialism.However, the Mafei rock has been submerged by the raised water. And the Niugan rock was cut and removed to the Phoenix Mountain in the new city of Zigui County by local tourism bureau. Though we cannot see the two rocks anymore in the gorge, there still are other sceneries as the same.Bingshu Baojian Gorge (Gorge of the Tactics Book & Sword)When our ship passes the Xin Tan (New Shoal), we will reach Bingshu Baojian Gorge. In the rock gaps of the mountain cliff in the north bank, theres something looking like a roll of bamboo book. It was said its the tactics book of Mr Zhuge Liang (an ancient Chinese famous strategist). Under the tactics book, there outshoot a sword shape rock which is thick on the top and sharp in the bottom, pointing to the river. That is the Sword Rock.According to the field research done by the archaeologists, the “tactics book” is actually the remains of the ancient hanging coffin, while the “sword” is an outshoot limestone.There are also two legends going along with this gorge. One is about Mr. Zhuge Liang. Its said that Zhuge Liang wrote a book on military experience of his whole life. One day, when he got a serious disease, he found there was nobody standing around him could inherit the book. In order to avoid the doctrinaires improper use of his theories, he chose the steep place to store it because he thought only those who can get it could take right and full advantage of his book. Another legend happened when the Chuhan Campaign broke out at the end of the Qin Dynasty. Zhang Liang, a smart advisor of the King Liubang, defeated the elite troops of the King Xiangyu, and took over the Chu. After Zhang Liangs death, his tactics book and sword were hidden here.Before the water raise in the reservoir, the Tourism Bureau of Zigui County organized a special force to save the legendary “tactics book”. Actually, there were remains of hanging coffin and many national secured relics. Now, all these things have been preserved on the Phoenix Mountain for tourists visiting.Celebrities Native Place in XiangxiSoon later we will reach the broad valley of Xiangxi. Along the clear and green river of Xiangxi, there once lived two famous Chinese c