Get to know Wushan County
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; resized proportionally to a maximum dimension of 960 pixels and converted to WebP quality 88. No crop, retouch, generated elements, or subject alteration. Final website rendition: full frame retained, proportionally resized to at most 720 pixels and converted to WebP. No additional retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Chongqing
- Chinese name
- 巫山县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,958.20 km²
- Population · 2010
- 495,072
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Wushan lies in the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir area and has long been called the "eastern gate of Chongqing" (渝东门户). The land is high in the north and south and low in the middle, with deep gorges and well-developed karst; mountains make up 96 per cent of the county. Fengjie (奉节县) lies to the west and Wuxi (巫溪县) to the north.
History
The State of Qin set up Wu County (巫县) here in 277 BC. In the Three Kingdoms period the area passed repeatedly between Liu Bei (刘备) and Sun Quan (孙权), and in 260 the Wu state made it the seat of the new Jianping commandery (建平郡). The county took the name Wushan in 583 under the Sui. It was placed under the municipality of Chongqing on 28 June 1997.
What to see
The Little Three Gorges (小三峡) are the Longmen (龙门峡), Bawu (巴雾峡) and Dicui (滴翠峡) gorges of the Daning River, the largest tributary within the Three Gorges, together 50 kilometres long. The county government lists them as a national scenic area and one of the first 5A tourist sites (2007). The county also has the Lesser Little Three Gorges (小小三峡); both are used for adventure, leisure and rafting trips.
The Wu Gorge and Goddess scenic area (巫峡·神女景区) covers 76 square kilometres of the Wu Gorge. Its southern route takes in the Goddess Stream (神女溪) and Jingtan Peak (净坛峰); its northern route centres on Goddess Peak (神女峰). The county government lists its sights as strange peaks and waters, the "clouds and rain of Wushan" (巫山云雨), red leaves on the mountains and the calm lake among high gorges (高峡平湖). It was rated 4A in 2014.
Dachang (大昌古镇) is known as a "pocket-sized old town" where, in the saying, a voice carries between all four gates and one lamp lights the whole town.
Food and local products
Wushan was named a Chinese home of grilled fish (中国烤鱼美食之乡) in January 2020.
Highlights
- Little Three Gorges 巫山小三峡: Three gorges of the Daning River, 50 kilometres long; a 5A site since 2007.
- Goddess Peak 神女峰: The centre of the northern route of the Wu Gorge and Goddess scenic area.
- Goddess Stream 神女溪: Part of the southern route of the Wu Gorge and Goddess scenic area.
- Dachang Old Town 大昌古镇: Called a pocket-sized old town where one lamp lights the whole town.
Sources for this guide
小三峡·小小三峡景区 - 巫山县人民政府 · Wushan County People's Government, Chongqing
巫峡·神女景区 - 巫山县人民政府 · Wushan County People's Government, Chongqing
巫山县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Wushan County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Wushan County
Wu Gorge on the Yangtze, with the Wushan Yangtze River Bridge in the distance · 巫峡长江风光，远处为巫山长江大桥 Source-recorded photograph date: 2019-02-06 16:44:36.Wu Gorge巫峡
Wu Gorge follows the Yangtze between Wushan and Guandukou, crossing from Chongqing into Hubei. High ridges frame the river, with the Twelve Peaks providing named landmarks along the route. Goddess Peak is the best-known of…
Read the place guide →The Yangtze River at Wu Gorge near Wushan, with the Wushan Yangtze River Bridge in the distance · 巫山巫峡长江水域，远处为巫山长江大桥 Source-recorded photograph date: 2019-02-06 16:44:36.Wushan County, Chongqing巫山
Wushan is a riverside base where the Daning meets the Yangtze, linking urban viewpoints with separate gorge excursions. Ningjiangdu’s waterfront makes the confluence legible, while Wushan Museum introduces the area’s…
Read the place guide →
Tour boat cruising the Smaller Three Gorges gorge near Wushan · 巫山小小三峡峡谷游船 Source-recorded photograph date: 2014-08-24 15:42:02.Mini Three Gorges小小三峡
The Mini Three Gorges are the Sancheng, Qinwang and Changtan gorges on the lower Madu River, a tributary of the Daning. They are distinct from the larger Little Three Gorges on the Daning, although excursions commonly connect…
Read the place guide →
Wushan Lesser Three Gorges (巫山小三峡), Wushan County. Photograph: "Wushan County Lesser Three Gorges (5250609341)".Wushan Lesser Three Gorges巫山小三峡
The Wushan Lesser Three Gorges follow the Daning River through Longmen, Bawu and Dicui gorges. Their tributary setting gives a closer view of steep, green river walls than the broad main Yangtze channel seen on a conventional Three Gorges cruise.
Read the place guide →
A narrow gorge seen from water level: sheer grey rock cliffs with clinging vegetation on both sides, deep green water across the foreground, a small covered tour boat ahead with passengers, and a line of blue and red floating pontoons along the left bank.Goddess Peak and Goddess Stream神女峰与神女溪
Shen Nv Feng (Goddess Peak) and Shen Nv Xi (Goddess Stream) are the core features of the Shennv scenic area, spread across five townships of Wushan County within the Wu Gorge section of the Yangtze Three Gorges. The area totals 76 square kilometres, with a 5.26 square kilometre core, and is a national AAAA-grade scenic area composed of three component parts: Goddess Peak, Goddess Stream and Goddess Sky Road.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Wushan County local specialties
巫山县特色美食 · 6 specialties to discover
Wushan grilled fish 巫山烤鱼AI dish illustration · AI 菜品示意图
The browned surface meets moist flesh and a sauce-soaked vegetable base, combining roast aroma with a simmered finish.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Wushan leaf jelly 巫山翡翠凉粉AI dish illustration · AI 菜品示意图
The jelly is cool, smooth and softly yielding, with the sauce providing much of its salt, acidity or heat.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Wushan Smoked Cured Pork 巫山腊肉
Wushan Smoked Cured Pork (巫山腊肉) is the salted, smoked pork of Wushan County (巫山县) in Chongqing, listed in a Chongqing Daily (重庆日报) feature on the county's food as fengguo larou (风锅腊肉).
Read the dish guide →
Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Wushan Goddess Chicken 巫山神女鸡
Wushan Goddess Chicken (巫山神女鸡) is listed among the local specialties of Wushan County, Chongqing. The name includes 鸡 (chicken).
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Wushan Baomian Wontons 巫山包面AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Wushan Baomian Wontons (巫山包面) are the local form of chaoshou, with thin, smooth wrappers and a savoury meat filling.
Read the dish guide →
Dachang Xuezao Sugared Rice Puffs 大昌雪枣
Dachang Xuezao Sugared Rice Puffs (大昌雪枣) are a traditional confection from Dachang (大昌) in Wushan County (巫山县).
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
More dishes from across Chongqing are in the Chongqing food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Wushan County is about 360 km in a straight line from central Chongqing. Search for 巫山县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Wu Gorge and Wushan County, Chongqing are about 20 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Chongqing →More in Chongqing
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 巫山县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Wu Gorge · Fxqf · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; resized proportionally to a maximum dimension of 960 pixels and converted to WebP quality 88. No crop, retouch, generated elements, or subject alteration. Final website rendition: full frame retained, proportionally resized to at most 720 pixels and converted to WebP. No additional retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Wushan County, Chongqing · Fxqf · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; resized proportionally to a maximum dimension of 960 pixels and converted to WebP quality 88. No crop, retouch, generated elements, or subject alteration. Final website rendition: full frame retained, proportionally resized to at most 720 pixels and converted to WebP. No additional retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Mini Three Gorges · Yoshi Canopus · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Wushan Lesser Three Gorges · Konrad Shek · CC BY 2.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Goddess Peak and Goddess Stream · jt Guan · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.