The Wujiang Gallery (乌江画廊) is a breathtakingly scenic canyon stretch along the Wujiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze. Spanning counties across Chongqing (such as Pengshui and Youyang) and entering Guizhou, the area is celebrated for the poetic phrase: "The boat sails on the water, and people wander through a painting (船在水中行，人在画中游)". The gallery features turquoise-emerald waters, sheer limestone cliffs, hidden waterfalls, and towering peaks draped in lush greenery.
There was no queue for the river cruise, and we boarded the boat immediately after arriving at the pier.
We chose to stay on the open-air viewing decks to feel the canyon breeze and enjoy the surrounding natural beauty.
Our cruise started from Wanzu Pier (万足码头) in Pengshui.
The boat gently cruised down the river, showcasing spectacular mountain vistas that changed with every bend.
After about 45 minutes of cruising on Wu River, the boat turned around and slowly sailed back to the same pier where we boarded.
On the way back, we went indoors and had a pleasant surprise. There was a live Sichuan Opera Face-Changing (变脸) performance. Accompanied by dramatic, fast-paced operatic music, the artist instantly flipped their vibrant silk masks with a sharp flick of the head or a wave of a fan. One moment we were looking at a fierce red mask, and in a literal blink of an eye, it transformed into a green, black, or gold character, leaving everyone gasping in amazement. This was our first time watching such performance.
Next, a calligraphy master demonstrated the art of brush-holding, ink control, and the flow of traditional strokes. He wrote large-format characters (大字) in a fluid, bold cursive (草书) or semi-cursive (行书) style. Once the master finished a piece, the emcee would heavily praise the artist's credentials, showcased his official seals, and opened the floor for passengers to purchase the freshly written scrolls.
As it's getting crowded in the indoor deck, we headed up to the open-air top deck to enjoy the pristine karst cliffs and breathtaking views in peace.
While we were hiking in Longshuixia Fissure Gorge (龙水峡地缝) earlier, part of the tour group visited Chiyou Jiulicheng (蚩尤九黎城) instead. After picking us up from the Gorge, the tour bus drove to this ancient city to pick up the rest of the tour group. While waiting, we were able to have a peek at the largest traditional Miao-style architectural complex in China.
Covering over 10 square kilometers, this majestic fortress city serves as a living museum and cultural sanctuary dedicated to preserving the history, mythology, and folk customs of the Miao ethnic group (苗族). The entire complex honors Chiyou, the legendary God of War and the primary tribal leader of the ancient Jiuli (九黎) alliance. Chiyou is revered as the first ancestor of the Miao people.
The city's striking architecture mimics ancient mountain strongholds, cascading seamlessly down steep hillsides. Three of its core structures hold Guinness World Records for their unprecedented scale and traditional engineering.
Jiuli Palace (九黎宫) is the highest and largest complex of stilted wooden buildings (吊脚楼) and quadrangle courtyards in the world. Built purely out of wood into a steep cliffside without using a single metal nail, it houses vast exhibition spaces showcasing ancestral Miao artifacts, clothing, and history.
Our next stop was to take a river cruise on Wu River (乌江).
Before that, we stopped by another restaurant for lunch.
Our first stop for today was Longshuixia Fissure Gorge (龙水峡地缝). It is a breathtaking V-shaped karst canyon carved deep into the earth by millions of years of groundwater erosion and tectonic uplift. Known as a "crack in the earth," the gorge plunges 200 to 500 meters deep, featuring towering vertical cliffs, dense primitive forests, and thundering waterfalls.
We started by walking down a flight of steps in a tunnel towards the sightseeing elevator.
The elevator descended rapidly down an 80-meter vertical cliff face. Through the glass, we saw the dramatic transition from the vast mountain scenery above into the narrow, dark rift yawning open right beneath us.
Stepping off the elevator onto the upper boardwalks brought us to this panoramic vantage point called Bathing Crane Platform (鹤沐群峰). This area gets its poetic name because the craggy rocks, mist, and clinging pine trees resemble cranes bathing on the mountain walls. It offers the best perspective of the sheer scale of the canyon before the walls narrow completely.
As we followed the path deeper, the trail transitioned into dark, echoing rock tunnels and cavernous chambers carved directly into the mountain.
Yinlong Cold Cave (蚓龙寒窟) is a damp, mysterious underground cave filled with ancient stalactites and stalagmites of various shapes. The air temperature dropped significantly here, and we could hear the subterranean rivers roaring right beneath the rocky floor.
Certain parts of the path were quite wet, so we had to walk over them very carefully.
Emerging from the tunnels, we reached the most iconic landmark of the entire gorge, Milky Way Waterfall (银河飞瀑). This spectacular waterfall plunges 80 meters straight down from the upper cliff edge into the canyon floor. The spray filled the narrow gap with a heavy mist. The roaring sound was deafening, and we would walk close enough to feel the cool spray on our face.
We then walked behind the waterfall to continue our hike through the gorge.
Next was the narrowest and most claustrophobic section of the canyon floor hike called "One Line Sky" Fissure (一线天). The vertical karst walls closed in so tightly on both sides that they almost touch, blocking out the sun. Looking straight up from the boardwalk, the sky was reduced to a thin, glowing thread of light cutting through the darkness
Moving past the tightest squeeze, the canyon floor opened up slightly into a series of crystal-clear pools and stone formations.
Weathered rocks were jutting out of the rushing river and resembled a divine elephant playing in the water. As such, this is called Holy Elephant Water (圣象戏水).
Nearby, the deep, still pools caught reflections of the sky and the surrounding greenery, creating a stark, peaceful contrast to the rushing waterfalls earlier in the trail.
Near the final stretch of the trail, we passed underneath a massive, natural stone archway spanning the gorge called Little Tiankeng Bridge (小天坑桥). This acts as a miniature version of the famous Three Natural Bridges nearby. Strung with vines and lush vegetation, it serves as a beautiful natural gateway marking the transition out of the deep inner core of the earth.
The remaining hike was on proper flat path. We had a relaxed stroll back to the exit where our tour coach was waiting.
