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30th March, 2001
Yangtze River Gorges Approached By Cruise Boat. Perils Of Whirlpools And Treachorus Currents.
The Yangtze River gorges looked very ominous as we approached them in the early morning despite the fact that the sun was making every effort to break through the clouds and pall of smoke which hovered below the mountain peaks. The mighty river seemed determined to sweep away any obstruction to its flow and forcing its way through the gorges at increasing speed, created whirlpools and dangerous currents, which only the foolhardy would disregard. As the roar of the water grew louder, the conversations between the passengers dropped to murmurs.
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A pall of smoke hung over the river as we approached the gorges and the foreboding scene was a reminder that the river demanded respect from all who sailed on its turbulent waters. Whenever we approached one of the gorges, the conversations amongst our group seemed to dry up, but whether it was in awe or in apprehension will never be known !
The river at Chungking seemed quite placid compared to the river in the gorges, with its faster flow, rapids and whirlpools.
This dead pig might well have been yet another victim of a cliff fall where a simple slip meant disaster, and a plunge into treacherous currents. There were also two adults and one child passed on our journey, but no effort was made to recover the bodies.
We were told that it would have been impossible to establish who they were or from which part of the river they had come. The Yangtze would bury its own dead.
What a difference the sun makes ! Earlier in the century, before the general use of motorised boats, it could well take 30 days to travel from Yichang to Chungking, an upriver journey, and then the trackers were used to manually haul the boats against the torrents. How many dead did the Yangtze bury ?
Approaching another bend but not knowing what to expect !
One cannot help but admire the determination of the artists who painted the Chinese poems at the bottom of these sheer cliff faces. Very soon, they will be just a memory as the waters of the Yangtze rise to cover them. One day I must get them translated. Are they memorials to the dead or to placate the river god ?
We continue our journey in the sunshine passing three or four small houses built high up the riverbank.
It was our turn to move out of the lock of the Gezhouba Dam at Yichang into waters which were considerably more placid than the raging torrents we had experienced upriver. The mighty Yangtze had been tamed !
There are three other Yangtze pages to be seen. Just click the links below !
