East of Chongqing, west of the Three Gorges Dam, straddling low on the steep mountains that surround the rushing Yangtze River, lies a magical city – Fuling. This is a city of history and of culture. This is a city that is melding the past and the present, bringing into the New Era new concepts of green development, new visions, and new moves. Like the rest of Chongqing, this is a fast growing city, full of life and on the move. Where the emerald, misty Wu River meets the mighty Yangtze, is where the story of Fuling begins. Below are some of the highlights of this charming city.
The Smile - smiles of children among vegetables, which will be used to make pickling vegetables, photo credit to Gao Jianshe
A Poem Buried Underwater
Below the Yangtze River lies an inscription on the Fuling White Crane Ridge. The White Crane Ridge Inscription records the historical dry water data of the Yangtze River from more than 1200 years ago (from the Tang dynasty), including 72 years of data. It is the ancient dry water hydrological inscription with the earliest age, the longest duration and the most abundant existing information in the world. It is reputed as "the world's first ancient hydrological station". The inscriptions work by carving fish into the river to act as a level-line. You can then tell the level of the water by comparing the water level with that of the stone fish. The observation method of carving fish into a ruler and marking water is unique in all major river basins in the world. People judge the climate change by observing the distance between the fish eyes and the water level line, which is used to guide agricultural production, thus giving birth to a saying that "the stone fish will produce water in a good year".
Fuling White Crane Ridge, photo credit to Hu Jianzhong
The inscription has an extremely high scientific value, which plays an important guiding role in inland river shipping, agricultural production and hydropower development in the Yangtze River basin, and provides an important hydrological basis for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.
During the construction of the Three Gorges Project, in order to protect the precious cultural heritage of the White Crane Ridge Inscription, after 10 years of long discussions, the "pressureless container" protection scheme was finally adopted and an "underwater museum" was built on the original site. The design of the "pressureless container" shows the world that the Three Gorges Dam is not only a product of material civilization but also a spiritual culture. The Underwater Museum embodies the innovation and creation of contemporary people. In 2010, it was called by UNESCO "the world's first underwater heritage museum that can be reached without diving". The inscription on the White Crane Ridge embodies the idea of harmony between man and nature in ancient China and is a historical witness of the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. The Underwater Museum is a vivid interpretation of the new development concept and an example of a success story in China’s effort to reach high development speeds while at the same time protecting the environment and culture.
An Emperor’s Wish to Satisfy His Concubine’s Love of Lychees
In Fuling City lies The Lychee Road which is an important historical relic left over from the Tang dynasty. According to official Tang histories, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, in order to satisfy his favorite concubine’s taste for fresh lychees, issued a decree to build a high-quality lychee garden in Fuling and set up a special post from Fuling to Chang'an (known as Xi’an today). This post road dedicated to transporting lychee is the world-famous "Lychee Ancient Road". The main road leads directly to Xi’an. The Litchi Ancient Road starts from Fuling Litchi Garden and reaches Xi'an through more than 10 districts and cities finally ending up in Shaanxi province, where Xi’an is located. It was the most prosperous post road in the Tang Dynasty with a total distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. The rise of Litchi Road was due to the extravagance of a feudal dynasty, but objectively speaking it also promoted commercial trade and cultural exchanges between Sichuan and Shaanxi. It had been prosperous for more than 1,000 years and become an important transportation route in ancient western China. Today, although the ancient road has been overtaken by high-speed, high-speed rail and air routes, Lychee is planted all over Fuling and along the Yangtze River. Perhaps you could take some precious Lychee home for yourself?
Lychee Ancient Road, photo credit to Nie Yan
The World’s Largest Man-made Cave
Going up the Wujiang River 20 kilometers from Fuling, is Baitao Town, the first town on the Wujiang River for thousands of miles. The Jinzi Mountain on the side of Wujiang River in Baitao Town has beautiful scenery with green peaks. However, in the depths of this mountain lies a marvelous sight- an underground nuclear project, hollowing out the whole mountain. In November 1966, a mysterious army moved into the deep mountains of Baitao town in Fuling. From then on, the place name of Bai Tao disappeared from the map and the correspondence address became "Chongqing 4513 mailbox"- All personnel entering the factory are strictly confidential. "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't say what you shouldn't say." Two brothers, who had worked here for three or four years without knowing each other, met unexpectedly one day in the streets of Bai Tao and wept in each other's arms. In 1984, 85% of the construction work and 65% of the installation work were completed but was later stopped due to peace. In 2002, the cave was declassified, and the 816 Underground Nuclear Project finally lifted its mysterious veil. In 2010, it was first partially opened to tourists as a scenic spot. In 2018, it was included in China's industrial heritage protection list. Today, with the integration of culture and tourism, as a former nuclear factory, it has become a precious part of China’s cultural heritage as well as a tourist destination. With the continuous upgrading and construction of a new scenic spot, the 816 Underground Nuclear Project has taken on a new luster.
The 816 Underground Nuclear Project