Sanmenxia

Sanmenxia sits in the far west of Henan where the Yellow River squeezes through a gorge once said to have been split into three gates by the legendary Yu the Great, giving the city its name. The Sanmenxia Dam, completed in 1960, was the first large dam built on the main stem of the Yellow River. Just to the west stands the ancient Hangu Pass, where tradition holds that the philosopher Laozi wrote the Dao De Jing before leaving the Central Plains. Each winter thousands of whooper swans migrate to the city's riverside wetlands, earning Sanmenxia the nickname Swan City. The surrounding Shanzhou district preserves distinctive sunken courtyard cave dwellings. Apples, gold mining and aluminum sustain the economy, and high-speed rail links it to Zhengzhou and Xi'an.