Zhongxian is a county under the administration of Chongqing, located in the central part of the municipality and at the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir area. It is about 180 kilometers from Chongqing’s main urban center. The area’s name literally means Loyalty County. China’s only county-level region named with the character “Zhong,” meaning loyalty, it has nearly 2,200 years of recorded history. In 634 CE, Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty renamed Linjiang as Zhongzhou in honor of General Ba Manzi, who sacrificed himself to save the city and became a lasting symbol of loyalty and integrity.

After the Three Gorges Project raised the water level, half of the old town of Zhongxian was submerged below the reservoir line while the other half was preserved to protect its cultural heritage. It became the only half-submerged county town in the entire Three Gorges region. On the second night of your three night downstream cruise, you will have the chance to visit Zhongzhou Alley, an old street where nature, culture, history and daily life blend together.

If you are on the four night upstream cruise, on the morning of the fourth day you can visit several representative sites in Zhongxian:

A: Shibaozhai, also known as Precious Stone Fortress
B: Xituo Ancient Town
C: Huanghua Island