by April Song

Created on: November 08, 2011   Last Updated: November 09, 2011

Tiger Leaping Gorge is located in Yunan Province, China. It is a canyon on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. As the deepest gorge in China, and one of the deepest gorges in the world, Tiger Leaping Gorge is well known for its steepness and sturdiness.

Tiger Leaping Gorge has three segments: Upper Tiger Leaping, Middle Tiger Leaping, and Lower Tiger Leaping. There are 18 dangerous shoals. To the south of Tiger Leaping Gorge, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stands 5596 meters above sea level. Opposite to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, there stands Haba Snow Mountain with an elevation of 5396 meters. Yangtze River (is also called Jinsha River locally) is only 30-60 meters in width in the gorge. The scenic spot of Tiger Leaping is in the narrowest part of the gorge.

According to a legend, to escape from hunters, a tiger stepped on a huge stone in the water and jumped the river. The name “Tiger Leaping Gorge” came into being. The summits of the mountains are 2500-3000 meters above the surface of the waters of the river. The waters of the river run down 7 steep ridges with a total fall head of 170 meters. The surge of the waters can be heard miles away.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is famous for its precipices and rapids. The gorge is not only deep, but also very narrow. In some parts of the gorge the peaks on the two sides of the gorge almost touch each other. The sky looks like a seam and the waters looks like a dragon to the eyes of the visitors who stay in the gorge. Because of weathering, huge stones often collapse into the waters. Therefore, the river is full of reefs and dangerous shoals. From the upper tiger leaping to the lower tiger leaping, the difference of the level is up to 210 meters, and averages 14 meters per kilometers. In some areas, the current speed can be up to 6-8m/s. Though the precipices and rapids of Tiger Leaping Gorge bring about inconveniences for navigation the breathtaking beauty has attracted visitors from all over the world.

Travelers can start their journey from the Lower Tiger Leaping. On the steep hillside, there is a village named “He Tao Yuan”. Pedestrians can find lodgings there. Not far away from the village, there appears a huge gap in the rugged mountain road. Travelers must take hold of bushes and trees to climb down to the bottom of the cliff, and then climb up to the opposite side of the deep gap. Go straight on, on the cliff on the other side of the river there appears a profile of a woman riding a horse. According

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