Nestled between Jade Dragon and Haba Snow Mountains resides what is said to be one of the deepest ravines in the world. The Tiger Leaping Gorge forms a sheer cliff face, stretching around 700 feet to the silt thickened Jingsha River below. The river appears at this point as three sections. The fast flowing upper section funnels into a large rock lodged between the gorges narrowest part, about a hundred-feet wide. Ancient legend has it that a tiger once used this rock as a steppingstone to cross the gorge. As the river enters this section it plummets a further 330 feet twisting and turning with great ferocity. The entire length of the gorge stretches for about nine miles.
China’s most important geological wonder is considered by many to be the first bend of the Yangtze. From its source on the Qinghai – Tibet plateau the Yangtze surges east until coming face to face with the Hengduan Mountain range. It is here the river is forced to make a sudden V shaped detour to the north east. Perched on the mountain bend is Stone Drum (Shigu) Town, named after a drum-shaped marble plaque. Built during the Ming era, the stone drum is said to commemorate a victory of Lijiang’s Naxi ruler over an invading Tibetan army. Legend has it that prior to any war the stone will rupture, and then of course re-seal itself in peacetime, hence if one looks closely it is possible to see scars from the past. The town has been an important staging post throughout history. Zhuge Liang, a famous military strategist of the Three Kingdoms period chose to cross the Yangtze here for military advantage. Kublai Khan, the first emperor of the Yuan dynasty in China is said to have selected this place for his armies to cross, and in April 1936 the red army under the command of General He Long and Ren Bishi crossed here on their march northwards.