Tiger Leaping Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Simplified Chinese虎跳峡
Traditional Chinese虎跳峽
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHǔ tiào xiá
IPA[xù tʰjâʊ ɕjǎ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationFú tiu haahp
JyutpingFu2 tiu3 haap6
IPA[fu˧˥ tʰiw˧ hap̚˨]
Southern Min
Tâi-lôHóo thiàu kiap

Tiger Leaping Gorge (Chinese: 虎跳峡; pinyin: Hǔ tiào xiá) is a scenic canyon on the Jinsha River, a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River. It is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Lijiang City, Yunnan in southwestern China. It is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site.

Legend says the name comes from a hunted tiger escaping by jumping across the river at the narrowest point (still 25 metres (82 ft) wide), using the rock in the middle.[1][2][better source needed]

At a maximum depth of approximately 3,790 meters (12,430 feet) from river to mountain peak, Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest and most spectacular river canyons in the world.[3] The inhabitants of the gorge are primarily the indigenous Nakhi people, who live in a handful of small hamlets. Their primary subsistence comes from grain production and nowadays hiking tourism.

  1. ^ Huang, Nellie (4 May 2017). "Everything you need to know about China's Tiger Leaping Gorge". G Adventures Blog. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Tiger Leaping Gorge, Tiger Leaping Gorge Tour Yunnan China, Tiger Leaping Gorge Travel, Tiger Leaping Gorge attractions and Maps". www.chinatourguide.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lijiang tourist information". www.yunnantrip.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.