As another side trip of the Yangtze cruise we made a visit to the White Emperor City. White Emperor City gained this name by an official who saw vapor in the shape of a dragon rising from a well. He took this as a good omen and declared himself as the White Emperor and this to be his city.

But this isn't what the White Emperor City is famous for. Liu Bei, the emperor of the smallest kingdom (Shu) during the Three Kingdoms period, passed away here after losing a battle to the Wu Kingdom. Before he passed away he asked his prime minister (Zhuge Liang) to take care of his son and look after his kingdom. Zhuge Liang was very skilled and kept the kingdom together until his death but it fell apart after that. This is chronicled in a classic Chinese book on the Three Kingdoms.

White Emperor City lies at the west entrance to the Qutang Gorge. The view looking toward the Qutang Gorge is depicted on the back of the Chinese 10-yuan bill. When the Three Gorges Dam is complete the White Emperor City will be an island.