Starting point for the Yangtze River Cruise, the 200-kilometre Three Gorges canyon is a culturally rich area, renowned for its breathtaking natural scenery. A World Heritage Site, the Dazu Stone Carvings on the steep hillsides within Dazu County are made up of some 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters forming inscriptions and epigraphs. Carved during the ninth century, these statues are works of art, their highest locations found on Mount Baoding and Mount Beishan. For history buffs, visit the residence of General “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell, chief commander of US forces in World War II – a museum that has been erected in his honour.