River cruising: A front-row seat to the rich tapestry of nature

Ever since our first river cruise down the Volga River from St Petersburg to Moscow nearly two decades ago, I knew this was my kind of holiday.

Blending relaxation and exploration, it offers you a frontrow seat and an up-close experience of the rich tapestry of life and nature along the riverbanks while gliding along leisurely.

Also, unlike ocean cruises, river cruising offers a more intimate, authentic, and immersive experience, including an array of interesting and informative on-board activities.

So, when the opportunity arose, I punted my long-cherished dream of a cruise downstream on the mighty Yangtze to our friends.

As early as in my high school geography years, China’s “Long River” has fascinated me.

Playing a key role in the country’s history, culture, and economy for thousands of years, the river has been used for water, irrigation, sanitation, transport, industry, boundary-marking, war…you name it.

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A memorable 12-day trip to China

In early October my husband and I, along with four friends, duly embarked on a memorable 12-day trip to China, including a four-day cruise from the Chongqing through the Yangtze’s three spectacular gorges – Qutang, Wu and Xiling.

Nestling on the shores of the Yangtze, the bustling city of Chongqing (China’s biggest city with 32 million inhabitants) is the starting point for a classic Yangtze River cruise.

Because of the late arrival of our high-speed train, which took us from Guilin in the south to Chongqing, we made it to our cruise ship, Century Paragon, just in time before anchors aweigh.

But, while we missed the embarkation buffet dinner, the ship’s helpful guide, Summer, briefed us privately while ensuring that we had more than enough to eat and drink.

We also had the opportunity to upgrade to the VIP Pavillion dining room for the rest of the cruise.

As early as the first cruise day, we were treated to two tasty “portions” of vibrant and colourful ancient Chinese culture.

First up in the morning was a walking tour of the ancient Fengdu “Ghost City”.

For centuries a burial area with scores of temples and shrines, monasteries, dioramas, statues and concepts from Chinese mythology and Buddhism, the city is today mostly under water because of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam downstream.

However, a hill and dozens of temples remain in the big artificial lake behind the dam, so this part can still be visited.

According to Chinese legend, Fengdu is where the devil lives; from where spirits go to heaven and evil goes to Fengdu.

This is illustrated all too clearly by the myriad devilish characters and cameos. Interestingly, many of the traditional Chinese perceptions of hell are somewhat similar to Western ideas.

Fun activities at the temple

One of the fun activities at the temple is physical tests such as running up steps while holding your breath or crossing a bridge in the fewest steps.

These physical tests, though they might be considered fun now, actually stem from a Taoist tradition about how to enter the area in peculiar physical ways that would make people have good Taoist fortune.

That evening the spectacular large-scale real landscape show in Dongxi Town, Zhongxian County, about the historical culture of the Three Kingdoms Period over 1 800 years ago and the spirit of loyalty of the revered military officer Guan Yu, proved to be a feast for the senses.

More than 50 horses, scores of soldiers traversing the full water-stage of 3 500m2 , 3D holographic laser projections, a 180-degree rotating auditorium, stereo special effects of sounds, lights, electricity and fire just to offer the best images of the historical legend.

Tourists attraction

Most impressive was the projection of scores of soldiers and beautiful Chinese maidens, slowly descending from above, like a cascading wave.

Likewise, the scene of “Battle of the Red Cliff ”, when the stone pillars fall slowly and change into warships with the help of the special effects, was riveting, to say the least!

It comes as no surprise that tourists from across the world wax lyrical about the beauty of Yangtze’s world famous Three Gorges, the most scenic of the navigable section of the Yangtze and a Unesco World Heritage site.

First on the route downstream is the spectacular Qutang Gorge (about 5km long), which features on the back of the 10 Yuan banknote.

In this section, the Yangtze carves its way through the gorge between the sheer precipices of overhanging mountains on both sides.

Many of the mountain peaks tower above the clouds, making a magnificent view.

The narrowest point of the riverbed is only several dozen metres, while the widest point is more than 1 800 metres.

Next up is the scenic Wu Gorge (40km), renowned for its beauty, particularly around the tranquil Goddess Stream (also known as Shenny Stream), which we explored on a smaller boat.

Along both banks of Wu Gorge 12 unique peaks rise skyward, with the Shennv Peak (Goddess Peak) the most prominent.

This peak is topped by a large rock that resembles a sculpture of a girl looking down upon the boats in the river.

Besides a small village with only dozens of families, where tourists can experience fascinating folk cultures, this tributary is also home to many protected species, including monkeys, mountain goats, deer, and boar, as well as its famous “Longevity Tea” and Chinese medicinal herbs. Last up was Xiling Gorge, at 100km the longest of the three gorges.

Equally spectacular, Xiling Gorge leads the way to China’s Three Gorges Dam, yet another mega Chinese project.

In a fitting conclusion to our Yangtze cruise, our visit to the museum complex adjacent to the dam, highlighted the monumental strides China has made over the past few years in terms of hydroelectric prowess.

185 metres tall dam

Just west of the city of Yichang in Hubei province, construction of the dam officially began in 1994.

At the time it was the largest engineering project in China, and at its completion in 2006, it was the largest dam structure in the world.

The figures speak for themselves: The dam stands 185 metres tall, is 2 335 metres long and 2 309 metres wide, making it the world’s biggest hydro-electric plant.

Its design includes 28 million cubic metres of concrete and 463 000 metric tonnes of steel.

At full capacity, the reservoir has a surface water area of over 1 080km2 ). Moreover, the hydroelectric power produced by the dam is clean, renewable energy.

Also, these days, the controversy surrounding the Three Gorges Dam caused by the displacement of at least 1.3 million people and the destruction of natural features and countless rare architectural and archaeological sites, appears to be a distant memory as development of the Yangtze River economic belt forges ahead.

In hindsight, our Yangtze river cruise, along with our memorable visits to several other impressive destinations, will be etched in my memory bank for many years to come.

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