The Yangtze River, the longest river in China, boasts widespread natural scenery and rich cultural relics. It has plentiful traveling resources mostly clustering around the mainstream area from Chongqing to Shanghai. Along the route, visitors can find many well-known scenic sights such as Chongqing Jinyun Mountain, Fengdu Ghost City, Yunyang Zhangfei Temple, Jingzhou Ancient City, Red Cliff, Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower and Yueyang Tower. Besides, the big cities like Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai are all hot tourist cities.
 | | Qutang Gorge | |  | | Wu Gorge | |
Among the countless scenic sights, the
Three Gorges is the most amazing landscape. It is one of the top ten scenic sights in China. Starting from Fengjie County in Chongqing City in the west and ending at Yichang City in Hubei Province in the east, it is composed of Qutang, Wuand Xiling Gorges from west to east, thus the name "Three Gorges". The Three Gorges presents visitors with different views. Qutang Gorge is grand and magnificent. Wu Gorge is noted for beautiful scenery, and Xiling Gorge is struck by its abruptness and boldness. The branch rivers such as Daning River, Fragrant Stream and Shennong Stream are equally to visitors' liking. Rowing on the river, one will feel like traveling in an enchanting Chinese landscape painting. A large number of celebrities in history have left poems in praising its charm. Recently as the completion of the Three Gorges Dam Project in 2009, a quantity of scenic sites have been submerged or removed. But at the same time, the rising water makes some originally narrow gorges reachable. Many new sights emerge.
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The following table is a list of the scenic sights along the Yangtze River cruise from Chongqing to Shanghai:
| Ports | Scenic Spots |
| Chongqing | Ci Qi Kou (Porcelain Village), Three Gorges Museum, Three Gorges Chongqing |
| Fuling | White Crane Ridge (Bai He Liang) |
| Fengdu | Ghost City, Snow Jade Cave (Xue Yu Dong) |
| Zhongxian | Shibaozhai (Precious Stone Fortress) |
| Wanxian | |
| Yunyang | Zhang Fei Temple |
| Fengjie | White Emperor City (Baidi City), Eight Elements Battle Formation (Ba Zhen Tu) |
| Qutang Gorge | Chalk Wall (Fen Bi Tang), Water-Stealing Holes, Bellows Gorge (Feng Xiang Xia), Meng Liang Stairway, Iron Lock Pass (Tie Suo Guan), Ancient Plank Road, Daxi Culture Heritage Site |
| Wushan | |
| Wu Gorge | Goddess Peak (Shennu Feng), Golden Helmet and Silver Armour Gorge (Jinkui Yinjia Xia), Three Little Gorges on Daning River |
| Badong | Shennong Stream |
| Zigui | Qu Yuan Temple & Fragrant Stream |
| Xiling Gorge | Military Books and Precious Sword Gorge (Bingshu Baojian Xia), Ox Liver and Horse Lung Gorge (Niugan Mafei Xia), Huangling Temple, Lantern Shadow Gorge (Deng Ying Xia), Three Travelers' Cave (San You Dong) |
| Yichang | Three Gorges Dam Project, Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project |
| Jingzhou | City Wall, Jingzhou Museum, Relics of Three Kingdoms |
| Wuhan | Yellow Crane Tower |
| Jiujiang | Lushan National Park |
| Nanjing | Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) |
| Suzhou | Sutong Yangtze River Bridge |
| Shanghai | The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower |
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Tourism resources along the Yangtze River are plentiful and characteristic. Besides the mainstream scenic area where the Three Gorges located, Yangtze tourist area can be further enlarged and divided into seven tourist zones, including Yangtze River Delta, Chongqing-Sichuan tourist zone, Northwestern Hubei and Southern Shaanxi, Western and Northern Parts of Hunan, Southern Anhui famous mountain scenic area, Northern Yunnan and Northern Guizhou, and Northern and Western Parts of Jiangxi.
- Last updated on Mar. 18, 2026 by Gabby Li -