At the foothills of the Himalayas lies a canyon, formed where the Yangtze River makes its way between the snowcapped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Haba Snow Mountain in far north western Yunnan Province. Ancient legends tells of a fierce tiger being pursued by hunters in the area, that used the huge stone at the narrowest point of the canyon to leap over the swirling waters in order to avoid death or capture. Granting the canyon its lyrical name... Tiger Leaping Gorge.
A contender for the world's deepest river canyon, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Hutiào Xiá in Chinese and sometimes referred to as Tiger Jumping Gorge in English, is around 15 km in length. Passing between 5,596 metre Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulongxue Shan) and 5,396 m Haba Xueshan (Haba Shan) in a series of rapids under steep 2000 metre cliffs.
The inhabitants of the gorge are primarily the indigenous Naxi people, who live in a handful of small villages, high up on the sides of the gorge. Their primary subsistence comes from grain production and foreign hikers. The area was officially opened to foreign tourists in 1993, but had attracted adventurous backpackers since the 1980s.
Hiking the length of the gorge is possible via 'the high road'. The hiking trail is well-maintained and marked, although sometimes narrow with steep dropoffs and raging waterfalls crossing the path (during and after the rainy season). This trail is longer than the lower road, approximately 22 kilometres (14 miles), but more varied, with fantastic mountain scenery. A challenge for most but a rewarding experience, the trail was once the only route through the gorge and so used by the Naxi as part of everyday life.
'The low road', stretching from Qiaotou through the Gorge, is a stretch of pavement (until recently a simple mule track) crossed by several waterfalls, and frequently beset by rockslides. On the low road these rockslides are cleared surprisingly quickly, as many locals rely solely on tourisim for income. The road follows the Yangtze, so there are more views of the river from here than on the upper trail. Where the high road descends to meet the lower road, one can climb down to the river near the Tiger Leaping Stone, the point at which the tiger is said to have leaped.
The Yangtse River at this point is locally called the Jinsha Jiang "Golden Sands River". In the early 1980s, four rafters attempted to go down the gorge and were never seen again. Then in 1986, the first known successful attempt to sail through the gorge was made by the first expedition to float down the entire length of the Yangtze, starting at the river's high source at the Gelandandong glacier lake.
Officials plan to improve the existing trails and roads, bringing tour buses and more development. These plans arouse highly varied reactions among the local population, from strong opposition to strong support. |
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