2011-14 Daning River, Wushan, China
Hello All,
Wushan was our next port of call on the Yangtze River. Here we boarded small sightseeing boats for a scenic adventure on the Daning River, which was too narrow for our cruise ship. Our voyage took us into an area known as the Lessor Three Gorges. Although narrower than the great Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, these remarkable canyons are extremely impressive. Sheer cliffs and steep mountains rise equally on both sides, and clear water flows between towering peaks covered by lush greenery. They are also home to some amazing historical sites such as the hanging coffins of the Ba people.
Wushan was our next port of call on the Yangtze River. Here we boarded small sightseeing boats for a scenic adventure on the Daning River, which was too narrow for our cruise ship. Our voyage took us into an area known as the Lessor Three Gorges. Although narrower than the great Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, these remarkable canyons are extremely impressive. Sheer cliffs and steep mountains rise equally on both sides, and clear water flows between towering peaks covered by lush greenery. They are also home to some amazing historical sites such as the hanging coffins of the Ba people.
We passed ancient cave homes
that used to be high on sheer cliffs. Now when the reservoir behind the Three
Gorges Dam is full they are under water.
The scenery was simply amazing--beautifully relaxing
in a way that only Mother Nature can provide--so serene. We kept busy trying to
capture it with our cameras. Every turn of the river offered another wonderful
landscape.
In the following photo please
note the white Chinese characters on the rocks just above the high waterline.
You will never guess what they are for.
Here is a closer look at the
characters.
Would you believe they mark a
school bus (boat) stop!! This is where kids from deep in the mountains catch
the boat to go to school. In the following photo you can see the path they
follow.
Within the gorges we saw
ancient burial sites of the Ba people. Most ancient civilizations buried their
dead underground and a few burned them. But there are some that placed bodies
in coffins and hung the coffins on a precipice. Some were placed on wooden
beams projecting out of the rock of cliff faces, others on the rocks
themselves. Others, such as the Ba, placed them in caves high up on a cliff
face.
Ba Hanging Coffins have been found in various areas of China. Some of the most well known examples are in the Three Gorges. The Ba culture survived for over 3,000 years but the last known descendant is believed to have died as recently as 400 years ago. The earliest known example of their funeral practices is believed to be one dating 2,500 years ago found at the Three Gorges.
If you look in the upper right of the following photo in the middle of the salmon-orange face of the cliff you can see where a casket is placed in the face of the cliff. No one knows for sure, but it is believed that the Ba people lowered the caskets down with ropes from cliff tops. It must have been quite a process--especially if you think of the logistics of it all.
Ba Hanging Coffins have been found in various areas of China. Some of the most well known examples are in the Three Gorges. The Ba culture survived for over 3,000 years but the last known descendant is believed to have died as recently as 400 years ago. The earliest known example of their funeral practices is believed to be one dating 2,500 years ago found at the Three Gorges.
If you look in the upper right of the following photo in the middle of the salmon-orange face of the cliff you can see where a casket is placed in the face of the cliff. No one knows for sure, but it is believed that the Ba people lowered the caskets down with ropes from cliff tops. It must have been quite a process--especially if you think of the logistics of it all.
Here are a couple of close-up
photos of the same area. You can see the coffin on the right.
We also saw a family of Rhesus
monkeys in the gorges. They are a protected species in China. Our boat captain
was anxious to get back to our cruise ship as it was getting late in the day,
so our only chance to photograph them was on the move. Of course the monkeys
did not sit still for very long, what with the human audience on our boat.
By the time we got back to our
ship it was almost dark. Nevertheless, this was one of our best opportunities
to get an unobstructed picture of our cruise ship.
What a wonderful adventure. We
thoroughly enjoyed our side trip up the Daning River--one that we’ll chalk up
in our memory banks for sure. Our next port of call will be Zhongxian where we
will visit the nearby Shibaozhai Temple, but more on that later.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns