←All destinationsFengjie · Qutang Gorge & Baidicheng
Gorges · Relics
OVERVIEW
The shortest gorge, the most forceful gateway
Kuimen draws the cliffs tight on both banks while Baidicheng looks back down on the river from above; here history and landform explain each other.
“At Kuimen the river narrows without warning, and history feels pushed up against the cliff in front of you.
— Climbing the steps of Baidicheng at dawn you hear the boats before you see the water. Here the landform and the poems are not separate things.
HIGHLIGHTS
Look down on the gorge
Read the mouth of Qutang Gorge and the scale of the shipping channel from the height of Baidicheng.
Walk the bank slowly
Give the time to the old city wall, the poem steles and the villages along the river.
HISTORY
From Gongsun Shu to Liu Bei's Last Charge
Baidicheng began as Ziyang City, built by Gongsun Shu, the warlord who held Shu at the end of the Western Han. A well inside the walls gave off a white vapour like a dragon, so he styled himself the White Emperor and the city took his name. In 222 CE Liu Bei retreated here after his defeat at Yiling and entrusted his heir to Zhuge Liang in the Yong'an Palace — the scene that fixed this place in Chinese memory. Kuimen has been a military gate since the Warring States, and Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Su Shi and Lu You all climbed here and left verses, which is why Baidicheng is also called the City of Poetry.
GETTING THERE
How to arrive
High-speed rail
Zhengzhou–Chongqing high-speed line, Fengjie station, direct from Beijing, Zhengzhou and Wuhan. From the interchange hall a tourist shuttle runs at 09:00 and 11:30, calling at Baotaping wharf, Baidicheng and Sanxia Zhidian.
By cruise
Three Gorges cruises berth at Baotaping. Baidicheng is a short climb from the pier, and arriving by water is the most natural way to enter Kuimen.
By car
About half a day out from Fengjie town. Morning light suits Kuimen best.
GOOD TO KNOW
Before you go
Seasonal Guidance
- Spring haze is soft and good for long views
- Autumn clears the river and makes the walking comfortable
Getting there & pacing
- Allow half a day out from Fengjie town
- Morning light suits Kuimen best
What to bring
- Wear shoes with grip
- A light jacket for when the river wind picks up