Daning River Scenic Area

Daning River Scenic Area

The Daning River Scenic Area is the collective name for the mid-to-upper reaches of the Daning River, excluding the Wu Gorge Miniature Three Gorges. It is one of the three main axes of the “Golden Triangle” formed by Fengjie–Wuxi–Wushan, renowned for its dense attractions, high touristic value, and the harmonious integration of natural, cultural, and folk elements. Dubbed the “Hundred-Mile Gallery,” it is honored as the “Number One Stream Under Heaven.”

Like a string of pearls, the Daning River features a sequence of attractions from downstream to upstream: Miaoxia Gorge; Wuxi County Town; Jianjia Gorge; Wuxikou Grand Gorge; Ningchang Ancient Town; and the national AA-rated Lingwudong Cave. At the Lingwudong Cave Scenic Area, visitors take an elevator up the mountain for cave tours, explore the underground caverns, enjoy aerial views via cable car, admire sculptures that evoke a sense of ancient times, ride sledges for fun, and kayak along the river. Five natural cave clusters are scattered throughout, each with distinct features, artfully arranged, and complementing one another. Inside the caves, the glistening stalactites and stalagmites hang and stand in myriad fantastic shapes, vividly lifelike. The Stalactite Sky Bridge, Sea-Pacifying Pillar, and Nine-Dragon Wall are known as the “Three Wonders of China’s Caves,” earning accolades from experts and tourists as the “Number One Cave in the Reservoir Region.”

Daning River rafting spans an impressive 25 km, the longest in the Greater Three Gorges area, offering thrilling rides through rapids surrounded by stunning scenery. Described as a “painting come to life,” where movement meets serenity, it is hailed as the “Number One Rafting Trip in the Three Gorges.” Other attractions include the Jingzhu Dam Rock Coffin Cluster—a municipal-level key cultural relic protection site and the most concentrated and well-preserved rock coffin site in China—perched nearly 300 meters above the Daning River surface, still clearly visible despite the passage of time; Yueya Gorge; and Jixin Ridge, an ancient mountain pass known as the “One Foot in Three Provinces” (Chongqing, Shaanxi, Hubei) stronghold.

The Daning River Scenic Area boasts a rich concentration of tourism resources and a diverse array of travel experiences. It captivates visitors with its natural beauty—crystal-clear waters, serene gorges, striking peaks, peculiar rocks, and exquisitely formed caves—its cultural charm, including ancient salt-making sites, hanging coffins, plank roads, old towns, and Cai Lun-style papermaking techniques, and its vibrant folk customs of the Wu and Ba peoples. It stands as a key destination in the New Three Gorges tourism region and serves as the leading attraction within the Fengjie–Wuxi–Wushan “Golden Triangle” tourism zone.

The Daning River Scenic Area features a chain of attractions characterized by emerald waters, verdant mountains, deep and narrow gorges, uniquely shaped boats, and distinctive local customs. It links together scenic spots such as Miaoxia Gorge, Wuxi County Town, Jianjia Gorge, Ningchang Ancient Town, Lingwudong Cave, Shen Valley, Yueya Gorge, and Jixin Ridge. Miaoxia Jade Valley Gorge has long been known as the “Crown of the Seven Gorges of the Daning River,” where monkeys swing through the trees, mandarin ducks play, and egrets soar. It is also home to the renowned YunTai Temple—hailed as the “Foremost Ancient Temple of Eastern Sichuan”—ancient boat coffins, and the “Little Nymph of the Daning River,” also known as the YunTai Fairy. Jianjia Gorge is marked by its two towering, cliff-facing scissors-like peaks. Lingwudong Cave dazzles with its splendid, glistening stalactites, earning praise as the “Number One Cave in the Reservoir Region.” The 26-km Daning River rafting trip, the longest in the Greater Three Gorges region, is celebrated as the “Number One Rafting Trip in the Three Gorges.” The Jingzhu Gorge houses a 2,000-year-old rock coffin burial site of the Pu people, the most densely distributed and best-preserved of its kind in China. Jixin Ridge, the heart of China’s rooster-shaped map, is the watershed dividing Chongqing, Shaanxi, and Hubei. Known as the “One Foot in Three Provinces” ridge, it has long been a strategic mountain pass contested by military forces.