Down stream from the zigzagging Wuxia Gorge is Xiling Gorge which stretches 78 kilometers eastward and the cliffs on either side rise to just over 900 meters. Xiling Gorge is awesome with its dangerous rapids, shoals, reefs, sharp turns, billowy whirlpools. The water at one point is so turbulent that it seems to be boiling during the flood season. Xiling Gorge in the east consists of several small gorges. On the top of another is a rock that looks like a sword. On the crag of the north bank are two pieces of brown rock, which are named Bull's Liver and Horse' Lung, whose shape they take. Next does the Lantern Shadow Gorge, which has four rocks, resemble Monk Xuan Zang and his three disciples---Monkey, Piggy and Sandy in the classic Chinese adventures of the four on their way to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures.
Around the last bend of Xiling Gorge stretches a vast plain. The river suddenly becomes wide here. Travelers on the Yangtze cruise may also visit many sites of historical and scenic interest along the river banks including the ruined of baidi Town and Precious Stone Village.
Everyone knows that the Yangtze Gorges are changing since the well-known Three Gorges Dam Project is being built at Sabdouping, Yichang, Hubei Province. The dam is 181 meters in height. Its construction investment comes up to 203.9 billion rmb, equals to 24.65 billion U.S. dollars. The installed power generation capacity is expected to be 18.2 million kilo watts. With the dam built, the flood in the Yangtze River valley will be controlled, navigation improved besides the economic benefits. Tourism will be little affected. Many cultural and historical relics are now being removed to a higher ground before the rise of the water level approaches.
