The Ancient Wu River Waterway

The Ancient Wu River Waterway

The Ancient Wu River Waterway

The Ancient Wu River Waterway, with over two thousand years of navigation history, once nurtured the splendid ancient Yelang civilization. Over centuries, the blending, influencing, and development of diverse ethnic cultures here have given rise to a rich and vibrant heritage. Once hailed as the “Golden Waterway,” the Wu River flows from south to north, traversing towns such as Caodi, Gonghe, and Changbao, running through their territories. The Wu River Cultural Tourism Area, represented by the Wu River Gorge, Wuling Gorge, and Dongting River, is also an important part of the renowned “Thousand-Mile Gallery of the Wu River.” It has given birth to the dazzling and diverse culture of Wu River exotic stones. Last year, at an exhibition held in Beijing, the exotic stones submitted by our county won gold and silver awards. Currently, they are being sold briskly on a small street near Zhonghuan No. 1 Primary School in Dejiang County. Leaders and visitors are welcome to come and admire or purchase them. Known as the “Little Three Gorges,” the Wu River boasts picturesque scenery, deep gorges, and lush forests along both banks. The cliffs here are masterpieces of nature, forming a natural gallery that integrates mountains, water, forests, springs, caves, and cliffs, blending grandeur, wonder, danger, beauty, antiquity, and serenity along its length—truly breathtaking. Thirty kilometers east of Dejiang County, on a huge rock by the Chao’di Beach of the Wu River, Ming Dynasty scholar Tian Qiu inscribed four large characters: “Qianzhong Dizhu” (Pillar of Central Guizhou). Each character is about 0.3 square meters, surrounded by a rectangular single-line border. The characters are all in regular script, simple yet vigorous, and the site is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.