Gorgeous gorges

　　By Bao Xinyan

　　``Look! Look! That is Witches Gorge,'' shouted our tour guide to Cristiana de Sinone [Please check the spelling of those names.] and other tourists on the deck as the sunless cliffs loom close.

　　The fog has shifted, momentarily revealing Goddess Peak, the highest summit along the section of Yangtze River between Chongqing and Yichang.

　　Some 300 metres above us, a small rock pinnacle shaped like a draped maiden stands out clearly, a goddess turned to stone for defying her father and falling in love with a mortal emperor.

　　``I believe the Three Gorges will be one of the healthy lungs to China's environment in the near future,'' said Cristiana, a 26-year-old Italian pharmacist, after she finished a fascinating trip along the river in the middle of April.

　　On the deck of the new Viking Century Star, Cristiana enjoyed the scenery of both the Three Gorges and the Lesser Three Gorges in early spring with tourists and managers of travel agencies coming from different countries, including the United States, Germany, Canada, Switzerland and Italy.

　　Arnold Zheng, cruise manager of Viking Century Star, said he felt the scenery is becoming different from that before the Great Dam project started.

　　``First of all, the dam creates a lake behind the dam and smoothing out the shoals and rapids on the river, a broader sweep of the river greets our cruise's pilot who can drive the ship more safely, and big ships can go further into the branch rivers than before,'' Zheng said.

　　Since the phase-two project was completed in June 2003, the river has risen to 135 metres above sea level.

　　It is said that China's new dam promises to yield the equivalent power of 15 nuclear plants as well as control the centuries-old problem of devastating Yangtze floods in summer.

　　Although the dam has changed the river landscape, it has also made the other sightseeing spots along the section of Yangtze River more accessible.

　　The cruise tied up for the breakfast at Wushan, where the Daning River meets the Yangtze. The Daning is famous for its towering Lesser Three Gorges.

　　Zheng said that before the construction of the dam, it was so narrow that big ships could not go inside. Local people used motorised junks to transport tourists to the Lesser Three Gorges because of the shallows in the water.

　　Now not only some big ships can sail along the Daning River, but also they can sail to the part people could not reach before.

　　``At the same time, when the water level rise and the river becomes broader, it is much less dangerous for the ships to sail along the river,'' Zheng said.

　　When the sun rose, over 100 visitors from Century Star moved into a medium-size ship, moving slowly into one of the Yangtze River's tributaries.

　　When the whole project will be completed in 2009 when the water level will rise to 175 metres above sea level, the luxury cruise like ours can sail into the Daning River for sightseeing, Zheng said.

　　Inside the Daning River valley, sheer cliffs, a little more than 300 metres high, look as though they have been laid in with a delicate traditional Chinese brush and ink.

　　Narrower than the great Three Gorges, these remarkable canyons are equally impressive. There are a number of historical sites, including the hanging coffins of local people and the ancient plank road carved into the cliffside.

　　Birds dart about graceful clumps of bamboo while monkeys jump from one twig to another within bushes.

　　Fishermen pole slender wooden boats shaped like willow leaves through the foaming water ploughed by our ship.

　　``And the water becomes more clear and limpid, especially that near the dam area, which gives people a different feeling,'' he added.

　　However, it is inevitable that some places and historic sites have to be submerged by water as the giant dam is erected.

　　No longer can we appreciate the gallery of paintings produced by nature in millions of years on the precipitous cliffs. The boat trackers' paths on both sides of the steep banks have been submerged forever. Local government is sparing no efforts to protect them, one important method is to move them to some other places higher than 175 metres above the sea level.

　　``I do not think this will stop people from visiting the Three Gorges. Although some parts disappear, the dam itself is becoming a new attraction,'' Zheng said.

　　As Feng Jicai, a noted Chinese writer, said: "No matter how much energy the Yangtze River will produce after it is dammed, we will still lose this great surging river forever."

　　Zhang Gang, a local guide is worrying about too many nutrients in the river since the water level is continuously rising.

　　``When many fields, trees and other things are submerged by water, the river will become much greener since there are too many nutrients in it,'' he said.

　　But he is also happy to see that local people are paying much more attention to protecting the environment along the river.

　　``Over there is a junk collecting rubbish floating on the water. There are more than 20 such boats sailing along the Daning River,'' Zhang said while pointing to the boat.

　　Future cruises

　　In fact, plans have been worked out to increase Yangtze River cruises for interested tourists.

　　``I have a plan to increase the number of our cruises from one to 10 within five years so as to let more European travellers enjoy the mighty Yangtze River and know more about real China,'' said Torstein [Please check the spelling of that name.] Hagen, chairman of Viking River Cruises.

　　``As the Three Gorges Dam nears completion, river cruising on the Yangtze will offer even more for tourists: previously inaccessible gorges now present pristine vistas, and the new series of locks and amazing engineering of this vast dam provide excitement and wonder as modern technology enhances the Yangtze River,'' Hagen said.

　　The April trip was the maiden Yangtze voyage of Viking Century Star, a sleek five-story, 285-foot (56 metre) deluxe river cruise ship.

　　While providing an intimacy of no more than 186 passengers, the ship offers the same comfort and amenities travellers would expect from a five-star hotel.

　　Since its 1997 inception, the company has grown its fleet to 23 vessels, which bring tourists to several Europe's majestic rivers, such as the Rhine, Main, Moselle, Danube and the Elbe, from [Sorry, but none of the rivers mentioned are anywhere near Russia.] France's lush hillside vineyards to the regal beauty of Eastern Europe and the towering spires of grand cathedrals.

　　Europe's rivers have always served as links between different peoples and cultures, transporting goods and ideas on the continent, Hagen said.

　　Viking River Cruises' venture into China marks the culmination of a five-year dream, according to Hagen.

　　``Now Viking River Cruises blends the best of all worlds for our passengers with our partner New Century Cruise Company, as they can experience the real China and its fascinating culture and traditions from the comfort and convenience of the world's finest floating hotel,'' Hagen said.

　　``About 5,000 guests have decided to have their Yangtze River cruises on Century Star this year,'' Larry Liu, cruise managers of Viking Century Star, commented. ``I cannot foretell booking conditions for 2005, but I am sure that we will have many more guests.''

　　Viking River Cruises will be responsible for the hotel and catering management on board the vessels, which will be the only vessels on the Yangtze River equipped with Western kitchens and services, Hagen claimed.

　　World famous chef Martin Yan has designed an authentic Chinese menu that will also give passengers a taste of local cuisine.

　　Viking River Cruises offers five different programmes in 2004. The all-inclusive itineraries, ranging from nine to sixteen nights, feature a seven-night cruise along China's legendary Yangtze River.

　　Responding to the strong interest in China and the Yangtze River, Viking River Cruises has already inked a deal for a second ship to be built with New Century Cruise Company, Viking Century Sky, which will join Viking Century Star for the 2005 sailing season.

　　``I believe that the number of foreign visitors to China will double in the next three years,'' said Robert E Whitley, president of United States Tour Operators Association, while enjoying the trip along the Yangtze once again.

　　In his opinion, the high quality Three Gorges cruises will help to increase the number of travellers from the United States.

　　``When I first came here 15 years ago, there was no such deluxe ship, and I had to visit the Three Gorges on a out-of-date ship.''

　　``Today I am delighted to see so many changes have happened in this country, and the construction of the Three Gorges Dam will be a great attraction to foreign tourists.''

　　Amos C W Hsu, president of Travel Design USA, Inc, said he believed that the brand of Viking River Cruises would attract more foreign visitors.

　　``People believe that Viking vessels provide the best services and they like to take part in their river cruises. This is the brand effect, which brings a win-win situation for both Yangtze River tourist market and Viking River Cruises,'' Hsu said.

　　Most of the guests come from North American and European countries, with about 80 per cent from the United States.

　　A survey from China National Tourism Administration shows that there were 7.5 million visitors to the Chinese mainland from other countries and regions in February this year, up 2.13 per cent over that of the same period of 2003.

　　In the same month the number of visitors from Germany to China increased by about 29 per cent, from France by 18 per cent, from the United Kingdom by 18 per cent, and from the United States by 17 per cent.

　　``Although we have already had a dozen deluxe cruises on the Yangtze River, including eight cruises of the President Series, we need more overseas cruise companies to participate the competition, which can tell us how to further improve our service and promote marketing,'' added Li Qibin, general manager of Beijing China International Travel Service Company Limited.