Yangtze River

Tomb Sweeping And Yangtze River Cruise to Three Gorges Dam

Tomb Sweeping or Qingming Festival is a day to remember and honor your ancestors at grave sites. People pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, and paper accessories.  Fake money is sold and burned for their ancestors. This festival has a long tradition in Asia, especially among farmers. Some people carry willow branches with them on Qingming, or put willow branches on their gates and/or front doors. They believe that willow branches help ward off the evil spirit that wanders on Qingming.

We had a 4 day weekend for the holiday so I joined other teachers on a 400 mile river cruise down the Yangtze River through the Three Gorges and ending at the Three Gorges Dam.

The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power station and the dam is intended to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduce the potential for floods. Currently the dam supports only about 2% of electricity demand in China.

The long reservoir has remained controversial in China.  About 1.3 million people were “relocated” and the reservoir flooded about 1,300 archaeological sites and altered the appearance of the Three Gorges as the water level rose over 300 ft.  Many cultural and historical relics have been moved to higher ground but the flooding inevitably covered many historical relics. The other major controversy is the impact the project has had on the environment and wildlife.  Over 50 plant species and many aquatic animals are now endangered and the river dolphin is possibly now extinct. 

Sailing out of Chongqing

We had a little mist or rain every day ... but it actually added to the beauty

A friend like to recite this little poem every day we had rain :-)

One of the most interesting stops along the river was a "Ghost City" in Fengdu.  This city combines the cultures of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism with the mystique of ghosts.  During the Tang Dynasty a huge black temple was erected depicting life in hell. It displays demonic images and torture devices and reflects the notion that good people will be treated well in the afterlife and that bad people will be punished by going to hell.

In the Chinese vision of the afterlife, the dead must undergo three major tests to enter the netherworld. And just so you know ... I passed all three tests :-)

Taking a ride on the Sampans was great fun even though it was in the rain.  The oarsman enjoyed a little friendly competition  and it was beautiful getting into the narrow gorges.  I was glad I didn't have to cross the hanging bridge.  But most of those working on the Sampans had to cross and then hike up the mountain a couple of miles to get to their homes.

The original "trackers" worked without clothes because the heavy weight of the ropes
rubbing on cloth cut their skin. The ropes are make of bamboo
which get's stronger when it's wet but doesn't hurt the skin

Here is a picture of a hanging coffin in the Qutang Gorge.  This was an ancient custom of some minority groups in China between 722-481 BC.   They are mostly carved from one whole piece of wood and to be buried in a hanging coffin was to protect the body from wild beasts and bless the soul eternally.

The 5 hour ride from Yichang to Wuhan was beautiful countryside.  It was so green and farms were terraced up the mountain.

The park by me is now blooming with thousands of tulips and peonies.

The cow is a big hit ... kids are all getting their picture on it

Couldn't resist a picture with the lovely Dutch maiden and prancing deer :-)