Three Gorges assisted Yu the Great in controling the waters and guiding boatmen. The Xiling Gorge comprises a series of famous gorges, including Military Book and Sword Gorge, Yellow Cow Gorge, and Lantern's Shadow Gorge. In 1919, after Sun Yat-sen had put forward the concept in the Plan for Industrial Development of his (), experts investigated damming the Three Gorges, but it was not until 1994 that the Three Gorges project officially started. In 1944, the Nationalist government recruited John L. Savage, the Chief Engineer of the United States Bureau of Reclamation, who came to China and made a 10-day investigation of
Huangchuan Three Gorges of stone. It is said that have a stone which like a goat on the left side of the mountain. So here is called the Yangtiao Gorge. In the legend, one day seven fairy saw the scenery in Huangchuan Three Gorges is very beautiful, so they play down in July 7 day. All of a sudden, a strange wind blew and swept away six fairy, leave the smallest fairy to weep over in the river. The fairy Gorge river are the tears of the smallest fairy. "The Fairy Gorge" hence the name. Lengjia Gorge is famous for its craggy. The