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Fengxiang Xia (Bellows Gorge)

As you travel downstream of the river, you come across a section of cliffs found among the verdant mountains. The mysterious Bellows Gorge is located here. Once, three Chinese characters 'feng xiang xia' were written hundreds of meters above the gorge. Now, they have been inundated by the raising waters. Only one character has survived, and can still be seen.

Several cracks are found among the cliffs which are tens of meters above the plank road below. In one of the cracks, it is said, the bellows of Lu Ban are placed. Lu Ban was a first-class craftsman in ancient times. The objects in the crack look like a bellows when viewed from afar; that is why people call this the Bellows Gorge.

Due to its unreachable position, the truth about the crack was kept as a secret for a long time. But there was no lack of pathfinders attempting to explore the secret of the Bellows Gorge. In the year 1971, three peasants risked their lives and the secret came out at last. The 'bellows' are, in fact, several hanging coffins which date back to the Warring States Period (476 BC-221 BC) and Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC). Lots of burial objects, including a copper blade, a copper ax, and straw sandals were found near the coffins.

Hanging coffins in the cliffs were a funeral custom popular in this area during the Western Han and Southern and Northern Dynasties (206 BC-589 DC). Many other coffins were also found; some had been disentombed, while some still peacefully stay high above, up in the cracks. The coffins, as well as the burial objects, provide valuable materials for the study of the ancient Ba People who lived 2,000 years ago. Although we now know the secret of the 'bellows', how these coffins were put in such a high place remains a mystery.