Chongqing

The Baiheliang Underwater Museum, open on the 18th May 2009 is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River off the coast of Fuling City, Chongqing Municipality, China. This underwater museum was constructed to be a national cultural relic protection unit of Three-Gorge cultural landscape, UNESCO named it as "The only well-preserved ancient hydrological station in the world."

The cultural relic, Baiheliang, literally meaning "White Crane Ridge" is a giant stone that is 1,600 meter in length and 25 meter in width. It appears from the water surface during the low water period of Yangtze River from each December to March in the following year. The stone was engraved with 164 paragraphs of rock carved abstracts from the first year of Guangde period of the Tang Dynasty (Year 763) to the present age, of which there was 108 hydrological abstracts; 14 stone fish figures, of which there was 3 hydrological signs, counted for 30,000 words. The inscriptions and images spasmodically recorded the historical low water circumstances of 72 particular years in the past more than 1200 years, that contributed the significant historical values to the research of low water rules and shipping to the middle and upper reaches of Yantze River.

Visitors at the museum can see the Baiheliang inscriptions through portholes in an underwater aisle. Sightseeing for a small number of professional divers is also possible.

China - Chongqing