Fengjie Travel Guide: The City of Poetry and the King of the Three Gorges

1.Introduction: The Gateway to the Three Gorges Fengjie County, located in the eastern part of Chongqing Municipality, is a place where history and geography converge in spectacular fashion. Situated at the western entrance of the Qutang Gorge, the first and most majestic of the Three Gorges, Fengjie has long been considered a strategic military choke point and a cultural sanctuary. The city sits along the banks of the Yangtze River, flanked by towering mountains that create a dramatic vertical landscape. It is not merely a transit point for river cruises but a destination rich in heritage, often referred to as the "City of Poetry" due to the countless verses written here by China's greatest poets throughout the millennia.

2.The Legend of Baidi: City (White Emperor City) The soul of Fengjie lies in Baidi City, located on Baidi Mountain at the mouth of the Qutang Gorge. Its history is a tapestry of ambition and legend. In the late Western Han Dynasty, a warlord named Gongsun Shu occupied Sichuan. He observed a white mist rising from a well on this mountain, resembling a white dragon. Taking this as an auspicious sign, he declared himself the "White Emperor" (Baidi) and named the city Baidi City,. This ancient fortification, surrounded by water on three sides and backed by steep mountains, offers a commanding view of the Yangtze River as it roars into the narrow gorges.

3.Echoes of the Three Kingdoms: Fengjie is immortalized in the history of the Three Kingdoms period. It was here, in the Yong'an Palace of Baidi City, that one of the most poignant moments in Chinese history occurred. After suffering a devastating defeat against the Wu kingdom at the Battle of Yiling, the Shu Han Emperor Liu Bei retreated to Baidi City. On his deathbed, he summoned his strategist Zhuge Liang and entrusted his young son, Liu Shan, and the future of his kingdom to him,. This act of "Entrusting the Orphan" (Tuogu) is celebrated as the ultimate example of trust, loyalty, and duty in Chinese culture. Today, statues and tableaus within the Baidi Temple recreate this solemn scene, allowing visitors to step back into that turbulent era,.

4.The City of Poetry Few places in: China have inspired as much literature as Fengjie. For centuries, poets traveling along the Yangtze would stop here, moved by the grandeur of the Qutang Gorge and the melancholy of historical ruins. The Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai wrote his famous verse here: "Departing from Baidi in the morning amidst colorful clouds, returning to Jiangling a thousand li away in one day." This poem captures the swift current of the river and the majestic scenery. Similarly, the great poet Du Fu lived in Fengjie for several years. He wrote hundreds of poems here, including "The Eight Formations," reflecting on the strategic brilliance of Zhuge Liang and the relentless flow of the Yangtze River. The cultural accumulation here is profound, with the landscape serving as a canvas for the emotions of China's literary giants.

5.The Majesty of: Kuimen (Qutang Gorge) Just below Baidi City lies Kuimen, the entrance to the Qutang Gorge. It is the narrowest and most precipitous of the Three Gorges. The cliffs on both sides rise sheer from the water, creating a gate that seems to lock the river. The grandeur of Kuimen is so iconic that it is featured on the back of the 10 Yuan RMB banknote. Standing at Fengjie, looking towards Kuimen, one can feel the raw power of nature that has carved this channel over millions of years. The river here, once turbulent and dangerous, is now calmer due to the Three Gorges Dam, forming a "High Gorge Flat Lake," but the visual impact of the towering cliffs remains undiminished,.

6.Modern Fengjie and Nature: Beyond its ancient history, Fengjie is a city of resilience. With the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, much of the old city and low-lying historical sites were submerged. The modern county seat has been rebuilt higher up the slopes, a testament to the adaptability of its people. The region is also ecologically diverse. To the south lies the Tiankeng Difeng (Heavenly Pit and Earth Seam) scenic area, a karst wonder of massive sinkholes and deep fissures that showcases the unique geology of the area (related to the broader Wulong/Fengjie karst belt described in regional contexts). The climate here supports the growth of the famous Fengjie Navel Oranges, which lushly carpet the hillsides in autumn and winter, adding a splash of gold to the green mountains.

In summary, Fengjie is a city where every stone tells a story. It is where the ambition of the White Emperor meets the loyalty of Zhuge Liang, and where the romanticism of Li Bai meets the realism of Du Fu. It stands as a sentinel over the Yangtze, inviting travelers to witness the sublime beauty of the Gorges and ponder the depth of Chinese history,.