Yichang

Located east of the Three Gorges Dam, Yichang is the embarkation point for passengers cruising up the Yangtze River toward Chongqing. With a population of around four million people, Yichang is small by Chinese standards and quite clean and quiet.

If you’re in Yichang, you’re probably there getting on or off a cruise or paying a visit to the Three Gorges Dam (the largest in the world); but the city offers several other points of interest for visitors passing through. Yichang was an important post in the Sino-Japanese War, and you can see the old defensive walls and ruins as well as a war memorial at the Three Visitors Dave and Park, located just outside of town.

If you only have limited time on the way to or from a cruise, consider spending it shopping for some local specialties, including chestnuts, persimmons, Sanxia oranges and tea.