Wushan Mountain International Maple Leaf Festival Kicks Off Soon

When the calendar turns the page to early November, the maples along the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River start to turn red to embrace the most beautiful time their year. The 2013 Wushan Mountain International Maple Leaf Festival runs from November 20 to December 29.

Since 2007, Wushan County has held the Maple Festival every year in November and December, which is considered the very best time to enjoy the red maple spectacle. The festival includes the Art Film Week of “Wushan Shennv Cup”, Contest of Wushan Shennv (Wushan Ladies), open-air, red-maple-themed weddings, and so on.  

Every year between the mid-November and the end of January red maples highlight both sides of the Yangtze River. Wushan Mountain in Wu Gorge area is blessed with the most stunning scenery of red leaves, thus it becomes the best place to appreciate them. Shennv Peak area and Wushan Little Three Gorges scenic area of Wushan Mountain region are the most-visited place during the period and Bawu Gorge (巴雾峡) belonging to Wushan Little Three Gorge（巫山小三峡） boasts the best of the best.

Most maples in other areas of China keep red color for 1 month or so and then fall, but Wushan red maples will last three months. When the time comes, the maples are presented over 20 red colors in different shapes like palms, stars, feathers, hearts and needles, providing numerous great photography opportunities.

Besides climbing to the mountain top to enjoy the great view of red maples, people on the cruise will also marvel at its another side in a distance when the cruise ship pass by Wu Gorge, Little Three Gorge, Shennv Peak, Shennv Stream and the Ancient Town of Dachang. Do catch this very moment to mark your impressive Yangtze Cruise trip.

Interesting to Know

• There was even a Chinese movie entitled, Wait Until the Red Maples Cover the Whole Mountain in the 1980’s, telling a love story of two young members staff who worked on the Yangtze Cruise.
• There are three levels describing the color of red maples: Level 1 refers to a discoloration of 10%-35%, when the leaves are turning yellow; Level 2 ( 35%–60%), when the color is between yellow and orange-red; and Level 3 (60%–95%), the best time to see the maple, when the color becomes dark red or even purple-red.