Longyang Gorge

Longyang Gorge (Longyang Xia) in Qinghai Province is located in the upper reaches of Yellow River. On either side of the river bank, one could find the undulate Chana Mountain and the stretching grassland. In the middle, on the other hand, lies the wide and fertile basin. Longyang Gorge is 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) long with an altitude of 2,700 meters (about 8,858 feet) above sea level. The river way is narrow and the jaw is only 40 meters (131.23 feet) wide. Thus water flows rapidly and thunderously. 'Longyang' means 'the steep cliff and clough' in Tibetan language. Hence, one can imagine by its name how majestic the scenery will be!

The dam of Longyang Gorge is about 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) away from Xining City, the capital of Qinghai, and at a height of 178 meters (about 584 feet), it is considered as the highest dam in Asia. The dam is 1,227 meters long (about 4,026 feet), the bottom of it is 80 meters (262.47 feet) wide and the top 15 meters (about 49 feet) wide. It is the biggest man-made reservoir in China, covering an area of 383 square kilometers (about 94,641 acres) with a water retention capacity of about 24 billion stere (about 848 billion cube feet).

The Longyang Gorge reservoir is a scenic spot where the Yellow River water is clear, partly due to its natural state and partly due to the achievement of the people's reconstructive action on the river. Tourists can go for a relaxing boat ride around the reservoir to enjoy the greenery surrounding, the rippled clear water and the fertile basin.

Longyang Gorge Hydropower Station, the second largest in China stands beside the dam. It is a big water retention hinge that has integrated functions-flood prevention, irrigation, fishery and tourism. Of course its main task is generating electricity. The annual quantity of the generated electricity is about 6 billion kilowatt-hours and is only second to Gezhouba Dam. It was nicknamed 'Bibcock Electricity Station' because it is the first hydropower station in the upstream of the Yellow River.

 Travel Tips: Longyang Gorge is located in Gonghe County, reachable from Xining Coach Station. The bus fare is about CNY30. Special local product is the rainbow trout.