The Yangtze River is China's longest river and the third longest in the world. The river starts in Qinghai, travels through Tibet and seven provinces and ends just north of Shanghai in the East China Sea.

This turbulent and powerful sight and journey, has been the source of inspiration for numerous poets and artists over the years. Despite the rise of the river at 135m above sea level after the dam started to reserve water in late 2002, the gorges are still by far worth seeing, as whatever under the water now has left a great deal to our imagination.

The Three Gorges on the Yangtze are Qutang, Wu and Xiling, all providing a stunning array of sights and scenery, stretching 192 km from Baidicheng (White Emperor City) in Chongqing in the west, to Yichang in Hubei Province in the east. In addition to these main monsters are the Lesser Gorges, located along the Daning River and Madu River.

A couple of years ago, the some native and foreign media irresponsibly stressed that the completion of the dam would be a termination to the gorges and the scenery of the river, and made it a real hassle when tourists then flooded in.

But now, one doesn't have to fight with other tourists for his own reserved cabin. A voyage going upstream from Wuhan to Chongqing allows you to see the magnificent dam and experience going through the world-recorded 5-step locks. Then you'll be on the wide smooth water like a huge long lake and ever so much higher. The mountains are now, showing you their upper faces, which they never did before.