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White Crane Ridge

White Crane Ridge is a natural stone ridge lying along the Yangtze River north of Fuling District , in the Chongqing Municipality . At about 10-15 meters (33-49 feet) wide, this stone ridge stretches 1,500 meters (about 0.9 mile) from west to east in three consecutive sections. The stone ridge is valued so much because the inscriptions carved on it, recording a large amount of hydraulic data about the Yangtze River during the past 1,200 years.

In the past, people carved stone fish on the stone ridge to record the low water levels and inscribed simple characters for description. These descriptions read for example, that when the fish emerges then a bumper crop will follow. On the White Crane Ridge there are an estimated 12 stone fish and 174 sites of inscriptions, up to 30,000 characters have been found, several Kwan-yin images and depictions of white crane. According to historical records, the carvings on the White Crane Ridge began from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and continued in the following dynasties until the present day.

Beside the hydraulic data, that provided a great deal of credible information for the exploration of the Yangtze River in terms of navigation and hydroelectricity, there are also some poems by famous poets inscribed on it. Varying in style, the inscriptions also boast great calligraphic value.

However, after the completion of the Three Gorges Project the White Crane Ridge was submerged 30 meters (about 98 feet) under the water. In order to secure and preserve the valuable hydraulic relics, an underwater museum is being built. It is reported that the museum is going to be completed and open to the public in 2007.