Yichang

Yangtze River city at the eastern end of the Three Gorges. The Three Gorges Dam (the world's largest hydroelectric station) is 40 km upstream; most Yangtze cruises terminate or originate here.

Yichang sits where the Yangtze emerges from the Three Gorges — the final of the three gorges, Xiling, ends here — into the broad central-China plain. The city is the eastern terminus of Three Gorges Yangtze cruises: most multi-day cruises run upstream to Chongqing or downstream from Chongqing to here, with Yichang as the boarding or disembarking port.

The Three Gorges Dam, at Sandouping 40 km upstream, is the world's largest hydroelectric station by installed capacity (22,500 MW). Construction required the relocation of approximately 1.3 million people from the reservoir valley. The dam visitor centre and observation areas are open to tourists and give a reasonable sense of the dam's scale without getting especially close to the structure itself.

The reservoir created by the dam flooded the lower gorge walls and affected the scenic character of the Three Gorges cruise. Some of the scenery most photographed in older guides is now partially submerged, though the gorges themselves remain dramatic above the new waterline. The Three Gorges Tribe Scenic Area, built on original cliffs above the flood zone, presents a reconstruction of Tujia and Han riverside culture from the pre-dam era.

Beyond the dam, the Qingjiang Gallery, a quieter gorge scenic area south of Yichang, offers cruises and raft trips on a smaller scale. The Xiling Gorge stretch, the last gorge before Yichang, is the most accessible by boat from the city and requires half a day.