Huangchuan Three Gorges 湟川三峡

About Huangchuan Three Gorges

In its Lianzhou stretch the river divides into Longquan Gorge, Lengqie Gorge and Yangtiao Gorge, together called Huangchuan Sanxia, running about 20 kilometres with peaks along both banks and stalactite formations hanging from the gorge walls. The Qing-dynasty official Lin Huawan, in his poem 'Lianxia Xing', compared the gorges' distinction to the Yangtze's Wu Gorge. Nearly 30 waterfalls line the banks, the largest and highest of them the roughly 'human'-shaped Yuanyang (Mandarin Duck) Waterfall, with a drop of more than 80 metres.

Longquan Gorge is named for a dragon-head-shaped boulder in its cliff, from which a waterfall issues in spring. Lengqie Gorge, also called Zhennü Xia (Chaste Maiden Gorge) for a boulder resembling a maiden, was the subject of a poem by the Tang-dynasty writer Han Yu; in 1202, after its channel silted up in a flood, the official Li Hua reopened it using a fire-and-water method. Yangtiao Gorge is the narrowest of the three, only about ten-odd zhang wide, and local legend explains its name through goats once said to leap across it. The Southern Song scholar Zhang Shi named 'Lengqie Xiaoyue' (Dawn Moon at Lengqie) and 'Longtan Feiyu' (Flying Rain at Longtan) among the 'Eight Views of Lianzhou', both scenes on Huangchuan.

The Han Yu Homesickness Pavilion stands at Longgong Tan in the Longtan village area. Han Yu, exiled during the Tang dynasty to serve as magistrate of Yangshan, wrote the poem 'Lodging at Longgong Tan' after being stranded there by heavy rain; in the 20th year of Qing Guangxu the Guangdong education supervisor Xu Qi had Han Yu's verse and his own inscription carved into the cliff at Longgong Tan. Folk-custom performances at Longtan let visitors experience the hospitality of the area's ethnic-minority communities.

What to look for

• The Yuanyang Waterfall, the largest and highest of nearly 30 waterfalls along the banks, with a drop of more than 80 metres.
• The dragon-head-shaped boulder in Longquan Gorge, from which a spring waterfall issues.
• The maiden-shaped boulder in Lengqie Gorge, subject of a Han Yu poem.
• Yangtiao Gorge, the narrowest of the three, tied to a local legend about leaping goats.
• The cliff inscription and pavilion at Longgong Tan commemorating Han Yu's overnight stay and poem.

Location & getting there

Getting to Huangchuan Three Gorges

Confirm the visitor entrance and which boat or walking routes operate on your date. Rainfall, water levels and weather can change access.

• Search for 湟川三峡 with 清远市 and 连州市.