My Mom and I Travel to the Three Gorges
The hottest days seem to be passing, and I feel like going out for a walk again.
I had mentioned before that I wanted to take my mom to see the Three Gorges Dam. I didn’t know if it would be impressive, but I felt that if I could only choose two places in my life to travel far, they would definitely be Beijing and the Three Gorges.
Since I bought tickets at the last minute, I couldn’t get a sleeper. And I had to be back by October 1st. So I decided to see if I could get a berth on the train—well, I’d just get on board first and figure it out.
On September 21st, we set off! The road to Nanchang was a bit congested. It was not easy to take my mom on a long trip, and I was worried we might miss the train.
Luckily, we made it to the station smoothly. At 8 p.m., my mom managed to get a sleeper ticket, and we arrived in Yichang safely just after 11 p.m.
On September 22nd, we could see the sunrise while still lying in bed...
I booked a day tour online. Today we visited the Three Gorges Waterfall, one of China’s top ten famous waterfalls.
The Three Gorges Waterfall, also known as the Baiguo Tree Waterfall, is a newly developed scenic spot at the mouth of the Xiling Gorge of the Yangtze River, famous for its flying springs. In a canyon about 5 kilometers long, a main waterfall and several branch waterfalls form a waterfall group. The main waterfall is about tens of meters wide, with clear water cascading down from a steep cliff over a hundred meters high. It is known as “the fourth in China and the first in Hubei.”
Although it was not the peak water season, being immersed in the mountains and water made my heart feel like a bird freed from its cage—joyful and beautiful. The sounds of calls, laughter, and the waterfall were all pleasant to the ear. Let’s have a close encounter with the cool waterfall! The instant feeling of the early autumn heat being suppressed from head to toe, like someone pouring a bucket of cold water on you when you’re furious, was incredibly refreshing and left me without temper, only a silly smile when I came to my senses...
Indeed, only by placing my feelings on the mountains and waters can I forget worries and troubles...
On September 23rd, I again booked a tour of the two dams and one gorge online. The two dams refer to Gezhouba and the Three Gorges Dam, and the one gorge refers to Xiling Gorge.
Oh, we almost missed the boat today—it was just about to depart.
Lucky! With great excitement, I experienced the “rising water lifts the boat” at Gezhouba. Most seats on the boat were paid. The free area at the ship lock was packed with tourists, making it really hard to take a good video or photo.
But I was very fortunate. Although it was extremely crowded, I managed to squeeze into a good spot and captured the entire process: opening the sluice to release water, closing to store water, and then the boat rising with the water. When experiencing that moment, you feel that traveling thousands of miles and crossing mountains and rivers for this instant was absolutely breathtaking—so powerful is our motherland!
The scenery of Xiling Gorge was more beautiful than I expected. I had originally only hoped that this trip would allow me to smoothly experience the boat rising and then see the Three Gorges Dam, which would have been perfect. But the beautiful views of Xiling Gorge made me not want to go into the cabin during the entire voyage, afraid of missing the most wonderful moments. Seeing people livestreaming and speaking eloquently on the boat, I could imagine just how magnificent the scenery along the way was.
In that scene, I deeply felt that “the boat glides on the blue waves, and people wander in a painting.”
While visiting the Three Gorges Dam, I saw many middle-aged people like me accompanying their parents, as well as many young people bringing their children. This is rare in most other scenic spots, where you mostly see retired elderly people. The Three Gorges Dam is the largest water conservancy hub project in the world, built in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, located in Sandouping Town, Yiling District, Yichang City, Hubei Province. The Three Gorges Project has won 112 world records and integrates three major functions: flood control, power generation, and navigation, as well as seven benefits including comprehensive aquaculture, tourism, ecological protection, environmental purification, resettlement development, South-to-North Water Diversion, and water supply for irrigation. It is listed as one of the world’s super projects.
Seeing such a great project filled me with pride—how magnificent our motherland is!
On September 24th, my original plan was to stay in Yichang for two days. After visiting the two dams and one gorge, we were going to Enshi for a few days. But when I checked the tickets, I found that all tickets from Enshi back to Nanchang in the days before October 1st were sold out.
So I decided to stay in Yichang for another day and booked a day tour to Qingjiang Gallery.
I had thought the scenery of Xiling Gorge was already very beautiful.
But I was once again stunned by Qingjiang Gallery. “800 li of Qingjiang River as beautiful as a painting, 300 li of gallery in Changyang”—it turns out to be true.
An immersive experience: layered mountains, clear blue waves, distant hills like black eyebrows, and I felt I was wandering in a painting...
Along the way, I hardly dared to blink. Indeed, when the scenery is so infinitely beautiful, it’s easy to encounter talented people. Seeing them speak eloquently and recite poetry in admiration, I realized that truly talented people, when they reach a beautiful place, can’t help but let those beautiful words flow out. They don’t even need to think. I felt ashamed—if only I had studied more back then, I could have expressed my praise for our motherland’s splendid mountains and rivers, instead of just saying “wow, wow, wow.”
Wuluo Zhongli Mountain, also known as Hen Mountain or Nanliu Mountain, is one of the scenic spots of the Qingjiang Gallery, a national 5A-level scenic area.
I almost missed this beautiful Qingjiang Gallery. I originally thought Yichang was famous only because of the Three Gorges Dam, but I never expected its picturesque landscapes to be so captivating that I couldn’t bear to leave.
Oh, although I am at a loss for words now, I still have to praise in my own way: our motherland’s mountains and rivers are magnificent!
I heard there is another place in Yichang called “Three Gorges People” with very high praise, but I also heard it’s very tiring on the feet—just walking casually can amount to ten or twenty thousand steps. I was afraid my mom couldn’t handle it, so I finally chose to go to Jingzhou, and then return from Jingzhou.
It is said that “one Jingzhou city holds half the history of the Three Kingdoms.” It was the capital of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
Jingzhou is one of the first batches of national historical and cultural cities in China, with a long history and profound cultural heritage. It is the birthplace of Jingchu culture and a gathering place of Three Kingdoms culture. Jingzhou has a city-building history of 5,000 years, and 20 generations of Chu monarchs ruled here for a total of 411 years. Eleven projects, such as Drum Basin Song, Mashan Folk Songs, Jinghe Opera, and Lacquerware Decoration Techniques, have been selected for national intangible cultural heritage protection. There are 14 national key cultural relic protection units, including the former site of Chu’s Jinan City, the old site of the Xiang’e’xi Revolutionary Base, and the Jingzhou City Wall. Jingzhou is an excellent tourist city in China. I think it’s well worth a visit.
On September 25th, we took the high-speed train to Jingzhou. After checking into a homestay near the high-speed rail station and having lunch, we went to check out the Jingzhou Ancient City.
I had planned to stay in Jingzhou for at least two days, but for some reason, while strolling through the ancient city, my mom and I suddenly agreed that we should go home tomorrow.
We went to the must-visit Jingzhou Museum. There was a treasure of the museum that I didn’t dare to photograph—a thousand-year-old mummy. Then, somehow, as we walked, we ended up at the Old South Gate.
On September 25th, we took the high-speed train to Jingzhou. After checking into a homestay near the station and having lunch, we visited the Jingzhou Ancient City. I had planned to stay in Jingzhou for two days, but for some unknown reason, while strolling through the ancient city, my mom and I suddenly agreed to go home tomorrow. Coming to a city and wanting to end it so hastily without even starting to understand it—that’s not like me. But I don’t know why I made that decision at that moment.
Later, we went to the must-visit Jingzhou Museum.
The Jingzhou Museum is located at No.166 Jingzhong Road, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province. It is a local comprehensive historical museum and was rated as one of the first batch of national first-class museums in 2008. There was a treasure of the museum that I didn’t dare to photograph—a thousand-year-old mummy.
Then, somehow, as we walked, we ended up at the Old South Gate.
The Old South Gate of Jingzhou is the southern gate of the Jingzhou Ancient City and one of its main gates. It was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, over 600 years ago. The city wall at the Old South Gate is an important attraction of the Jingzhou Ancient City, drawing many tourists. Walking along the city wall, you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the entire Jingzhou city and appreciate the profound history and culture of the ancient city.
It must be beautiful here at night...
At that moment, lying on the city wall and watching the traffic coming and going in the barbican, I felt a bit lost...
Perhaps I don’t understand history, or maybe I’m just passing through. So for this small but overlooked historical city in Hubei, I suddenly lost the desire to stay a few more days to explore it.
Some say it has declined, others say it is gathering momentum.
Actually, Jingzhou is quite nice, and the cost of my accommodation and meals was very low. But I couldn’t find a reason to stay longer. I don’t know if I’ll ever visit this city again, but for now, I have to leave it with some regret.
And so, my mom and I completed our trip to Hubei successfully.
On September 26th, we arrived home safely.
Why do people go far away?
I think it’s because of anticipation, wonder, awe, and the many unforgettable experiences you never expected.
For instance, I came only for the Three Gorges Dam, to experience its magnificence, but unexpectedly, the Three Gorges Waterfall brought me joy, and Qingjiang Gallery amazed me. It’s this kind of feeling of experiencing different emotions in different scenes that makes me obsessively and persistently take steps again and again, lingering in the magnificent mountains and rivers of our motherland!
