The Jialing River crosses its way with the Yangtze at Chonging, a river-girdled city hemmed in between mountains in the southeastern part of the Sichuan Basin. Buildings, either perched above rivers or hugging the contours of mountain slops, are laid out in a terraced fashion to accentuate Chongqing’s character as a mountain city. The average annual temperature is 18 degrees Celsius. Chongqing is also known as a ‘Fog City’ due to the fact that it is wet and foggy in late autumn and early spring. In 1997, Chongqing became the latest city to be incorporated as a municipality directly under the State Council. Today, it is the largest city and inland harbour and a major transportation hub for southwest China.
Yangtze River's Three Gorges
Sailing down the Yangtze from Chongqing to Yichang allows visitors to see the spectacular scenery of the Three Gorges along with its splendid cultural heritage and fabled local folklore. The cruise, which combines sightseeing with scientific, artistic and folklore exploration. is a national-calibre tourist program. The 193-km-long Three Gorges, consisting of the majestic Qutangxia, statuesque Wuxia and ferocious Xilingxia gorges, is one of and ferocious Xilingxia gorges, is one of the world's major canyons. Along the way there are such scenic attractions as the Fengdu Mountain, Baidi City, Shibao Village, Zhang Fei's Temple, Qu Yuan's Temple, and the Three Gorges Dam.