What is a Yangtze River Cruise Package?

By Huiya Chen

The Yangtze River is the longest river of Asia, stretching 6,300km (3,900 miles) in length from East to West across China. Taking Yangtze River cruise is the best option for those seeking to truly understand Chinese culture. On a Yangtze River cruise you can participate in the on board cultural activities, have one or two shore excursions each day, or just simply relax on deck, breathe some fresh air and enjoy the stunning passing cliffs.

There are usually 6 cruising routes:

Cruise between Chongqing and Yichang, downstream will be 3 nights and 4 days, upstream will be 4 nights and five days.

Cruise between Chongqing and Wuhan, downstream will be 4 nights and 5 days, upstream will be 5 nights and 6 days.

Cruise between Chongqing and Shanghai, downstream will be 6 nights and 7 days, upstream will be 7 nights and 8 days.

And most cruisers run between Chongqing and Yichang.

The most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River gorges: Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge, collectively known as Sanxia, or the Three Gorges. The gorges of this mighty river climb thousands of feet on both sides, and it is truly breathtaking to witness.

When you taking or planning a Yangtze cruise Tours, the cruise should be taken as an organized voyage which includes shipboard accommodations, meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), organized shore excursions, on board entertainment, 24-hour room service, and all port charges.

Most of the cruises provide Chinese culture presentation, staff show, and very nice food with Chinese cuisine. You can take part in various activities on board and learn about Chinese culture. You may wish to lounge on deck by the pool with a good book, take a Taichi or dance class, attend different lectures like pearls, Chinese painting, Chinese medicine and so on. At night the ship staff will put on a show. They are not professional actors and actress but the performance is great to enjoy.

Cruising on the Yangtze River, any visitor will not forget these shore excursions in the itinerary:

Fengdu: known as the "Ghost City", Fengdu is a very popular shore excursion site for tourists on the Yangtze River. Since Tang Dynasty, forty-eight temples have been built in the place, such as the 'Hall of the Jade Emperor', 'the Palace of Hell', 'Boundary between the Living and the Dead', 'the Ridge of Helplessness' and 'the Balcony of Nostalgia'. All of the temples there look quite magnificent while statues are extremely lifelike.

Shennong Stream: Shennong Stream is a small tributary of Yangtze River with 60 kilometers long, popular with its special virtues of serenity, uniqueness, primitiveness and wilderness. Drifting on the local "pea pod", you'll be able to enjoy not only the beautiful scenery along the River, but also see cliff-wallows swishing in the air, groups of monkeys sporting among the trees, shoals of fish swimming in the clear water, as well as ancient coffins in the rocky crevices left by the Ba people.

Three Gorges Dam: The dam is the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken by man. It will be 2,335 meters long, 185 meters high, 18 meters wide on the top and 130 meters wide at the bottom. Upon arrival at Sandouping, visitors will take a bus across the Three Gorges Bridge, which leads toward the top of the hill for a birds-eye view of the construction from the observation deck. Visitors will also observe the five-step ship lock, the diversion canal, the dam in construction, and the power station.

The Yangtze River has so many things to offer you. It is a wonderful experience for you to enjoy the breathtaking views, meet with friendly people and explore the rich local customs.

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Top 5 Most Powerful Rivers in the World

By Byron Harris

When you think of a river, the last thing you think about is probably how strong its water really is. You are more than likely to think about calm flowing water that brushes over stones at the bottom of the river. Whatever you think about, it's definitely not how powerful the river is.

5. Brahmaputra River

The Brahmaputra River is located in Bahaduradbad, Bangladesh. It starts in southwestern Tibet, goes through the Himalayas, the Assam Valley, and then through Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra is about 1,800 miles long and is mostly used for transportation as well as irrigation. While most of this river is navigable, some parts are prone to catastrophic flooding in the spring once the snow of the Himalayans melt. This river is also one of the few that is known to have something called a tidal bare. This means that incoming tides form waves that travel up the river against the direction of the current. This is what researchers call a true tidal wave. This makes the Brahmaputra that much stronger.

4. Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia as well as in China. It is the 3rd largest in the world. The river stretches to about 3,964 miles and flows through East China Sea in Shanghai. The Yangtze is known for its flooding, and dams that have been built to prevent water from flowing outside of the river's banks have proven to be useless. Researchers have realized that the river actually has three different types of floods and that its tides are much too strong during some seasons to prevent water from overflowing. Many use the river for electricity and water transport, but they often, if not always have to live in the fear of their towns being flooded.

3. Orinoco River

The Orinoco River is one of the longest in South America. In fact, it is the 3rd longest in South America. The river is 1,330 miles long and flows through Colombia and Venezuela. It begins at the Delgago Chalbaud Mountain. Once the river passes the forested terrain and waterfalls, it slows. However, the waterfalls become rapids which have proven to be extremely difficult to navigate, even though during this time the river is downstream. Eventually the river dumps into the Atlantic Ocean. The river also experiences coastal upwelling year-round, which often poses a threat for those who live close to the river.

2. Congo River

You might know the Congo River as the Zaire. Whichever name you are familiar with, this river is the largest in Western Central Africa. At 2,922 miles, the Congo is the second longest river in Africa. This river is also Africa's most powerful river. Even though the Congo starts off as a peaceful river, especially near Lake Tanganyika, it eventually begins to widen and also picks up speed during this time. Eventually the water passes through the "Gates of Hell," which is a 75-mile long canyon that presents rapids that are impassable. At the Upper Congo, the river ends, but has a 60 mile stretch of rapids that make it dangerous and powerful.

1. Amazon River

The Amazon is the largest river in the world when looking at its volume. It is located in South America, and because it is so large, it can count for at least 1/5 of the world's complete river flow. This river is so powerful and so big that there aren't any points along the river that can be crossed by a bridge. The river has an extremely powerful discharge at the mouth which can release as much as eight trillion gallons of water each day. The river is said to be about 150 ft. deep, so if you're thinking about going for a swim in the Amazon, think again!

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Yangtze River 'Giant Toilet Bowl' of Asia

By Maynard Joseph Delfin

With a record-high dumped wastes of 30.5 billion tons, the Yangtze River in China can be considered as a "giant toilet bowl" of Asia as waste production and illegal dumping in the area continue to worsen. Xinhua news agency reported the recent case of industrial, farming and human waste production in China has doubled compared a couple of decades ago with a 3.1 percent increase or 900 million tons of added trash being thrown in the river.

Experts are predicting the situation of Yangtze getting polluted will be more alarming in the coming days with the presence of Three Gorges dam trapping a bulk sewage that makes the river unsafe and may cause all possible threats to human health, particularly those living near the vicinity.

Even the Asian Development Bank was anxious about the fate of the Yangtze River and pointed fingers at the industrialization and urbanization activities as culprits to its pollution. It said the river has reached its alarming levels calling the proper authorities to do something about it. Based on the study of the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission, 2006 posted a seemingly high sewage dumping after its alert waste levels were raised by less than five percent.

Earlier this month, a Swiss-China report said the enormous pollution brought about by too much dumping in the Yangtze can be resolved if the Chinese government will be aggressive enough to take initiatives in restoring the river.

Fishing activities and survival of the unique species living in bodies of water were greatly affected by the waste dumping in Yangtze. In time, it is feared that the other sea creatures like the white-fin dolphin and sturgeon will totally be extinct.

Maynard Joseph Delfin finished AB Journalism (cum laude) at the University of Santo Tomas. He has worked as book editor, deskman, copy editor and research and publications officer in leading publishing and research companies in the Philippines. Read more of his blogs athttp://maynard_delfin.instablogs.com

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