Brief Introduction
Sanyou Cave also known as Three Travelers' Cave is in the cliffs of the northern Peak of Xiling Mountain. Three poets visited the cave and wrote poems in memory of their visit. After entering the park, take the path to the right, which is the south side and faces the Yangtze River. At the end of the path is Zhang Fei Hitting Drum Platform where troops trained. From here, you can get a great view looking down into the gorges as well as the Gezhouba Dam off in the distance.
A narrow path from the platform carved out of the cliffs lead down near the water's edge. From here, you can see the gorges looking upward and west. This area is the Nanjing Pass and was a hotly contested area among rival armies as it is the diving point between the middle and upper Yangtze. The bottleneck here would be a strategic coup to those that controlled it.
Beyond Zhang Fei's Platform, the trail leads to a peninsula point where Liu Bei's Fortress is located. From this vantage point, you are at the water's edge and get a magnificent view of the river with the sharp craggy formations rising up on either side. Here you feel almost swallowed up by the immense size of the river and height of the cliffs.
Follow the path west you walk along another path carved into the cliffs and going into Xialo Brook's smaller, but impressive gorge. It is on this path the famed Sanyou Cave with all the poems are found. At the mouth of the cave are three large white statues of the poets with a small light behind them illuminating their features.
In the very center of park is a tower with a spiral staircase that ascends three flights. Here there is a panoramic view of the Yangtze River, the deeply carved gorges and the bridge spanning the Xialo Brook gorge. The park provides views not scene from a cruise ship.
