Along the Lesser Three Gorges (Xiao Sanxia). Xiao Sanxia is a detour from the main river. As you go into these gorges, the water turns from the mucky brown of the Yangtze into a beautiful emerald green.

Xiao Sanxia are much smaller than the Three Gorges. But what they lack in grandeur they make up in intimacy. The narrower passages provide more drama. The contrast has been enhanced by the rising waters of the Yantze. The Three Gorges are wider than ever, and though Xiao Sanxia have seen the same rise of the water level, the impact seems less noticeable because you look at the two different sets of gorges differently. For the Three Gorges, you sort of survey the scene from afar and you can really notice the widening of the gorges. For Xiao Sanxia, you are so close to the sides of the gorges that the changes in height and width are less pronounced.