Wanzhou Port

　　Wanzhou Port is situated at the junction of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, in the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir area, and is known as the "Gateway to Eastern Chongqing." After Chongqing became a municipality directly under the central government, it became the largest port in eastern Chongqing and the Three Gorges Reservoir area. The port's jurisdiction extends from Yangduxi in Zhongxian County in the upstream to Bianyuxi in Wushan County in the downstream. It lies 321 kilometers east of Yichang and 327 kilometers west of Chongqing, with a natural shoreline stretching 301 kilometers. The port currently covers an area of 27.01 square kilometers, including 0.44 square kilometers of land and 26.57 square kilometers of water. Wanzhou Port governs five county-level port stations: Zhongxian, Xituo (including Shibaozhai), Yunyang, Fengjie, and Wushan. The port enjoys a strategically central location, enabling direct transport connections with the waterway network across the Yangtze River basin. It serves as a vital logistics route for goods from eastern Chongqing, northeastern Sichuan, Hunan and Hubei, southern Shaanxi, and northern Guizhou to access international markets. It ranks among the top ten ports on the Yangtze River and has been designated by the state as one of the five major multipurpose ports for key development along the main Yangtze River channel. Following the formation of the Three Gorges Reservoir, Wanzhou Port, as the largest hub port in the reservoir area, plays a crucial role in connecting eastern and western regions along the Yangtze River.

　　The Wanzhou Port Authority was established in January 1952 as a wholly state-owned enterprise directly managed by the Ministry of Transport, operating under a dual leadership system primarily led by the ministry and secondarily by local authorities. On December 15, 1988, it was transferred in its entirety to the Wanzhou Prefecture Administrative Office, shifting to a dual leadership system primarily governed by the local government and secondarily by the Ministry of Transport. It functioned as a county-level government-enterprise integrated entity. On June 25, 2003, in accordance with the approval of Wanzhou Government Document [2003] No. 58, the Wanzhou Port Authority was restructured into the Chongqing Wanzhou Port (Group) Co., Ltd. as a fully government-enterprise separated entity. To further expand and strengthen port logistics, in line with the requirements of the Chongqing Municipal Committee and Municipal Government, on July 28, 2006, a strategic resource integration of the “Three Ports in One” (Chongqing, Fuling, and Wanzhou) was implemented, with all affiliated assets transferred to the Chongqing Port Logistics Group.

　　The jurisdiction of Wanzhou Port covers a vast area, with its hinterland including eastern Chongqing, eastern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi, and western Hubei. The hinterland is rich in economic resources, with 38 types of identified mineral resources. These include 2,860 billion tons of rock salt, over 2 billion tons of coal, 130 million tons of pyrite, and 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The region is also famous for its agricultural and specialty products—its tung oil production ranks first in China, citrus output is third nationwide, and products such as silk, raw lacquer, tobacco leaves, leather, pig bristles, casings, oil crops, medicinal herbs, hogs, grain, tea, and preserved mustard tubers hold significant national importance. Additionally, industries such as textiles, salt production, silk, batteries, chemicals, building materials, metallurgy, power, coal, leather, and papermaking are also well-developed.

　　The tourism resources within Wanzhou Port’s jurisdiction are exceptionally abundant. The Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge of the Three Gorges are both located here, offering over 200 potential scenic spots and historic sites suitable for development, 57 of which are currently open to the public. Examples include the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, the Lesser Three Gorges of Wushan, Qinglong Waterfall, the Daxi Cultural Ruins, Wushan Shuangxi Karst Caves, Fengjie’s Baidi City and Tiankeng Difeng (Heavenly Pit and Earth Crack), Yunyang’s Zhangfei Temple, Zhongxian’s Shibaozhai, and Liangping’s Shuangguitemple. Once the Three Gorges Reservoir is formed, it will create a massive water body stretching over 600 kilometers. Thanks to the rising water levels, accessibility to many tributaries of the upper Yangtze will improve, allowing easier exploration of new scenic areas. This will add 37 sections of drift canyon routes, 14 new islands and peninsulas, and 11 new lakes. Moreover, accessibility to the Daning River, Wu River, and Jialing River will also be enhanced. Analysts estimate that while 25 scenic spots in the reservoir area will be completely submerged, 77 new sites with significant tourism value will emerge. For instance, Kaixian County in the reservoir area will form a massive water zone spanning 58 square kilometers, where countless hills will turn into isolated islands, creating a spectacular scene reminiscent of Qiandao Lake (“Thousand Island Lake”). The ancient military site “Huanghuacheng,” covering 6,000 acres, will become the largest single island in the Yangtze River. In Zhongxian, the Ganjing River, Yuxi River, and Dongxi River encircle the city, giving it a picturesque “water within the city, city within the water” aesthetic reminiscent of the Jiangnan region. The core area governed by Wanzhou Port will become a uniquely captivating gorge-and-lake scenic region in Western China.