Yunyang Three Gorges Ladder City

　　The Three Gorges Ladder City is located within the Three Gorges Ladder City Scenic Area in Yunyang County, Chongqing. During the city’s tourism development, Yunyang proposed the important strategy of turning the urban area itself into a scenic destination, creating a city that feels like a scenic area and fostering a sense of belonging. The brand slogan “Three Gorges Ladder City, Magical Yunyang” was introduced.

　　In 2014, the Yunyang Ladder City Scenic Area was officially approved as a National AAAA (4A) Tourist Attraction by the China National Tourism Administration.

　　The Chongqing Yunyang Three Gorges Ladder City Scenic Area is a tourist destination that combines mountains, water, forests, temples, and leisure. It features both historical and cultural attractions as well as natural landscapes. Located on the Longji Ridge mountain range in the urban area of Yunyang County, the site enjoys a prime location and convenient transportation. It lies at the heart of China’s Outstanding Tourism City, National Garden City, National Sanitary City, National Civilized City, and Chongqing Model Environmental Protection City. It has become a key ecological and cultural tourism destination along the Yangtze River Three Gorges tourism belt. Major attractions include Panshi City, Three Gorges Cultural Relics Park, Dengyun Ladder, and Longji Ridge Park.

　　Panshi City boasts a strategically perilous terrain and has long been a contested military stronghold. Originally built in the late Song Dynasty and further developed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it is a typical example of fortified city construction from the pre-gunpowder era. The Three Gorges Cultural Relics Park is a key cultural heritage site under Chongqing’s protection. Located at the foot of the ancient Panshi City military fortress from the Southern Song Dynasty in Yunyang County, it stands as a tangible testament to Yunyang’s rich historical culture. The Dengyun Ladder is 1,388.68 meters long, 30 meters wide, with a vertical height difference of over 200 meters and a total of 1,975 steps, forming a spectacular landscape of sixty tiers and ten thousand steps. It has been recognized by the China World Records Association as the “World’s Longest Urban Herringbone Staircase,” and awarded a “World Record Certificate.” Longji Ridge Park is a cultural, ecological, and tourism corridor, resembling a winding green dragon lying across the northern part of Yunyang’s new urban area.

　　Longji Ridge Park

　　Longji Ridge Park is built in harmony with the mountain, blending naturally with its surroundings and integrating both natural and cultural elements. The park is divided into five major zones: the Panshi City Ancient Military Fortress Ruins Sightseeing Area, Shuangjingzhai Tourist Sightseeing Area, Longji Ridge Ecological Forest Belt Recreation Area, the Riverside Green Space at the Shuangjiang Bridgehead, and the Dengyun Ladder Urban Public Activity Area. It spans three main roads in the new urban area, and planned construction projects include the Panshi City Ancient Military Fortress, Pear Orchard, Yunding Square and service buildings, pathway landscapes, connecting skybridges, and Shuangjingzhai landscape engineering. During construction, cultural heritage sites such as the Panshi City Ancient Military Fortress, Three Gorges Cultural Relics Park, and Xiayansi Temple were protected and relocated. Cultural facilities such as Yunyang Tower, Longtan (Dragon Altar), and Jiqing Wall were built, while century-old pear trees in the Pear Orchard were preserved. Approximately 20,000 precious plants including banyan trees, camphor trees, and ginkgo trees were newly planted, along with over 60 varieties of flowers. Each scenic spot in the park forms its own independent attraction, complemented by the harmony of ecology and culture. It provides residents with an ideal place for leisurely strolls, exercise, and cultural enrichment.

　　Panshi City

　　Commonly known as Mopan Fortress, its elegant name is Panshi City. It earned its name because the mountain it sits on resembles a huge millstone. The mountain’s terrain is highly strategic, controlling the Yangtze River and the Pengxi River, making it extremely important militarily and a key battleground. In the late Southern Song Dynasty, when Mongol forces invaded from Shaanxi into Sichuan, Yu Jie was appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan in 1242 (the second year of the Chunyou era). Recognizing the Mongols’ strength in cavalry and archery but weakness in mountain warfare, he adopted a defensive strategy of “using the mountains as fortresses, arranged like stars on a chessboard.” He selected and upgraded 15 fortresses in key locations along the Yangtze River, Jialing River, and major transport routes, transforming them into strategic defensive strongholds capable of both offense and defense. Among these, the most famous is undoubtedly Hechuan’s Fishing City. As a supporting point in the defense system of Wanzhou’s Tiansheng City (also known as Little Stone City), Panshi City also received attention. Yu Jie assigned his general Lü Shikui to expand and garrison the site to defend against the Mongols. After Möngke Khan died during the siege of Fishing City, the Mongol forces retreated, and Panshi City did not witness a famous battle like Fishing City, so its fame is somewhat less. However, as “the pillar of Kuimen, the safeguard of Eastern Sichuan,” due to its critical military position, it underwent reconstruction and expansion during both the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

　　Three Gorges Cultural Relics Park

　　The Three Gorges Cultural Relics Park is a demonstration project for the protection of cultural relics in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. The relocation and reconstruction work began in November 2001. Following the principles of off-site relocation and original-style reconstruction, eleven cultural relics from the Yunyang area that were to be submerged by the Three Gorges Project—including the Wenchang Palace, Dizhu Palace, Dongyue Temple, Shaanxi Arrow Tower, Weixin School, Yunyang South City Gate, Xiahuangshi Memorial Archway, Changtan Stone Tablet Pavilion, Liugang Stone Inscriptions, Niwei Rock Paintings, and Longji Rock Inscriptions—were collectively relocated to the park. Additionally, the park preserves over 1,000 underground cultural relics unearthed through archaeological excavations, showcasing the development of civilization in the Yangtze River Three Gorges region.

　　Dengyun Ladder

　　The Yunyang Dengyun Ladder was constructed in March 1999 with a total investment of nearly 100 million yuan, and was completed by the end of 2008. The staircase consists of 60 tiers, stretches 1,388.68 meters in length, has 1,975 steps, spans an altitude from 180 to 450 meters, and features an elevation drop of 270 meters.

　　The entire Dengyun Ladder resembles a giant Chinese character “人” (human), symbolizing the city spirit of “putting people first and daring to climb.”

　　With its unique design and grand scale, the Yunyang Dengyun Ladder is hailed as the “No. 1 Ladder on the Yangtze River,” forming a magnificent landscape of “tiered sections and ten thousand steps of ladder.”

　　Source: Baidu Baike