Badong

Introduction

Badong lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze and to the east of the DabaMountains. The town is a strategic communication hub Badong New Citybetween Sichuan and HubeiProvinces, and is the main center for collection and distribution of goods from the mountain areas of western Hubei. The special local products of western Hubei, such as tung oil, raw lacquer, herbal medicines and animal skins, are shipped out either via the highway between Badong and Enshi or by the Yangtze River.

What to see

Some of the ancient structures are the Autumn Wind Pavilion, Pavilion for Encouraging Farming and Pavilion of Longevity and Peace, although unfortunately they are not all in good repair. A long canal has been built along the cliff diverting the waters from the Sourceless Cave, with some very attractive scenery.

The other scenic spot is the Gezi River S tone Forest, which lies in to the southwest of Badong. Each of the many fantastic peaks and grotesque rocks presents itsa unique shape, and tall, straight pine trees rise sheer out of verdant carpets of lush grass. More than thirty single peaks and seven caves are linked up by three meadows, four spots of "thread of sky" (extremely narrow passages between huge rocks, where only a streak of the sky iscan be seen), five "gates", six "tunnels" and eight deep "lanes". These all crisscross to makeform a great labyrinth of the whole place, which, together with the nearby Chuanxin Rock, and Nine Dragons Scene, etc, has formed combine to form the famous scenic spot of Gezi River Stone Forest, covering over 10 square kilometers.