Little Three Gorges on Madu River

Little Three Gorges on Madu River

The Little Three Gorges is on the riverbank of Madu River which is a branch of Dicui Gorge. Two and a half miles long, it is so picturesque that visitors' feel immersed in the original environment.

The Little Three Gorges refers to three gorges at the lower reaches of Madu River - Sancheng, Qinwang, and Changtan. The watercourse in the Little Three Gorges is narrow and, additionally, the high mountains and stalactites in different stance and manner along the two banks add more appeal to the gorges.

Presently, only Sancheng Gorge has been opened to visitors. The water course is quite narrow and the river rapids that the boatman must propel the boat by the pole relentlessly whilst sailing upstream. The vegetation along the gorge is virgin and some stalactites are rare in shape.

Qingwang Gorge got its name from the big karst cave, called Qinwang Cave (King Qin's Cave). It is said that a man in Ming Dynasty whose surname was Qin successfully developed dynamite here under the order of the emperor. So he was conferred as the King of Qing. The cave is called Qingwang Cave; the same as the gorge - Qingwang Gorge. Changtan (Long Beach)  Gorge has a long beach about 1.2 miles - hence its name. In this section all kinds of fish can be seen in the clear water.
 Visiting the Little Three Gorges on Madu River, one first passes the Three Little Gorges to reach the estuary of Madu River by boat. As the water is too shallow for the powerboat to sail on in the Little Three Gorges Section a small willow-shaped wooden boat is at hand. The boatmen usually propel the boat upstream by poles and pull the boat when the water is too shallow. When arriving at the destination, one can choose to experience the excitement of drifting downstream in a rubber boat and then returning to the Madu River Estuary by the original wooden boat.
 

Admission Fee:	CNY 20
Opening Hours:	08:00 - 17:00