Qutang Gorge, Canyon in Three Gorges, China.

Qutang Gorge is a narrow rock formation along the Yangtze River with nearly vertical walls reaching up to 1,200 meters high. The valley stretches several kilometers between two prominent mountains and displays towering stone formations on both sides of the river.

The Ancient Pathway (古棧道) was built from the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) and maintained until the mid-20th century. Human haulers, harnessed to tow ropes, walked these narrow cliffside paths to pull boats upstream against the current. The paths were later expanded for hauling goods up the mountains.

The Chalk Wall displays over a thousand carved characters from calligraphers across different periods, preserving classical Chinese writing traditions. Visitors can view these inscriptions closely during the river journey and observe the skilled craftsmanship of ancient masters.

The gorge runs about 8 km from Baidicheng, at the Kuimen Gate between Chijia Mountain and Baiyan Mountain, east to Daxi in Wushan County. Boats pass through the narrowest stretch, under 150 m wide, so the cliffs are seen from the deck. The Chalk Wall and the Meng Liang Stairway holes are on the southern bank; the Drinking Phoenix Spring caves are reached by a separate path.

On the Baiyan Mountain side, about a hundred rectangular holes, each roughly a metre deep and a metre apart, zigzag partway up the cliff as the Meng Liang Stairway. Legend credits the Song soldier Meng Liang, who was building a stair to recover General Yang Jiye's remains; a monk crowed like a rooster and he abandoned the work. Poles set in such holes once carried walkways.