The Twelve Peaks of Wushan

The Wu Mountains above the Wu Gorge carry twelve named peaks, and Wushan County catalogues its scenery as three terraces, eight views and twelve peaks. The best known is Shennü Peak, which folk tradition makes a fairy who helped Yu the Great control the waters and guide boatmen, a landmark with a job. The county is 96 per cent mountain with a relative relief of 2,606 metres, and its seat stands at the meeting of the Daning and the Yangtze. Li Daoyuan described these gorges in the Commentary on the Water Classic in the Northern Wei, and the habit of naming the rock is older than the tourism.