Qingjiang Gallery — National AAAAA Scenic Area

The Hubei Qingjiang Gallery Tourism Resort was founded in 2006. It is located at the special tourist wharf of Geheyan in Changyang Tujia Autonomous County, Yichang City, 10 kilometres away from the county seat. It is the largest national AAAAA-level scenic area in the Three Gorges region and also a national forest park. Together with Shennongjia, Wudang Mountain and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, it forms Hubei’s four top-grade tourist zones. It is listed as one of the ten core scenic spots in Western Hubei Tourism Circle. With an annual reception capacity of over one million visitors, it has been named a model tourist zone with standardized services in Hubei Province.

The main scenic stretch of Qingjiang Gallery starts at Daoying Gorge below the Geheyan Dam on the east and stretches westward to Yanchi Hot Spring near the Shuibuya Dam. Covering all tourist attractions along the river, this high-gorge flat lake extends 100 kilometres from east to west. The mountains are as green as silk ribbons, and the river water shimmers like sapphires. Mist rises above the river surface at dawn and dusk, creating a fairyland reminiscent of Penglai. Wild blossoms bloom all year round, just like flowers scattered on a celestial maiden’s skirt. It is known as the Danube of the East and a homeland of boating songs and river lights.

Current core attractions include Wuluozhongli Mountain (the birthplace of the Ba people), Immortal Stockade and Daoying Gorge. A newly launched high-quality green travel route focuses on healthy konjac wellness tours. More sites such as the ancient Machi Stockade and Yanchi Hot Spring are under development.

A tourist reception centre built strictly in accordance with AAAAA standards houses a geological museum, shopping mall, ticket office and ecological parking lot, integrating three core functions: ticket service, dam sightseeing and vehicle parking.

Visitors can choose between star-rated hotels and rural farm courtyards for accommodation. Local dishes include wild mountain delicacies as well as spicy river seafood. Lodging options range from luxury hotel suites costing thousands of yuan to budget farm guest rooms for just several dozen yuan. Popular souvenirs include Changyang green tea, exotic stones, fresh Qingjiang fish, konjac dietary fibre and cured Tujia bacon — all beautifully packaged and easy to carry.

The mysterious Qingjiang River boasts a long history. As the second largest tributary of the Yangtze River in Hubei, it is the cradle of the Ba ethnic group and the Mother River of the Tujia people. 190,000 years ago, the ancient Changyang Man pioneered early civilisation along the Yangtze River here. Five thousand years ago, the ancient Ba people expanded their territory and founded the Ba Kingdom along this river. Two thousand years ago, the Tujia ethnic group came into being in this land.

This land is home to dreamlike Tujia culture and the ancient Ba civilisation. Changyang Tujia Autonomous County has a long history and splendid folk art, earning it the title of Hometown of Chinese Folk Art. Mountain ballads, Southern Melodies and Bashan Dance are known as Changyang’s Three Cultural Treasures. Unique customs such as the Wedding Weeping Ritual remain as living fossils of Ba traditions preserved along the Qingjiang River.

Every step reveals a new scene, and every mile unfolds a fresh landscape along Qingjiang Gallery. Zhang Jian, the Chinese ironman who swam across the English Channel, led a team to swim along the gallery. More than twenty famous Chinese and foreign singers including Li Guyi, Li Shuangjiang, Tan Jing, Ayouduo, Mao Ning and the band Phoenix Legend sang the classic ballad Mountain Songs Are Like Qingjiang Water. World-renowned pianist Maksim gave a passionate performance of Poseidon. Two local peasant brothers Wang Aimin and Wang Aihua won the gold prize in the original folk music category at the CCTV Young Singer Contest with their folk tune Fluttering Maiden. Twenty-three academicians including Sang Guowei from the Chinese Academy of Engineering have toured the scenic area. CCTV International Channel aired the special programme Chinese Sentiment · Ballad of Ba and Tu. State leaders including Li Peng, Zhu Rongji and Jia Qinglin praised Qingjiang as one of the best-preserved rivers in China, commenting that “Qingjiang Gallery is fully comparable to Guilin’s landscapes”.