Traveling along the Yichang Three Gorges Dam Highway, the layered green mountains and cascading waterfalls along the way make it feel like stepping into an ink-wash painting. On September 11, the 8th Tourism and Transportation Conference held in Yichang awarded certificates for the 2025 Beautiful Highway projects. Fifteen projects from Hubei were selected, placing the province among the top regions nationwide in terms of total number of projects.

The 15 selected projects from Hubei include 3 expressways, 9 national and provincial trunk highways, and 3 rural highway projects. They are: S68 Three Gorges Dam Highway, the Hanchuan to Tianmen section of the Wuhan-Chongqing Expressway, S28 Baoshen Expressway; the Shiyan City “Landscape Vehicle City · Floral Yan Road” demonstration road, G351 Wufeng section, G241 Taihe Avenue, G318 Changyang section, G348 Badong Yangtze River Bridge to Pingyangba section, Jianshi County G318 Journey to the Center of the Earth road, S269 Qianjiang section, S224 Baodang Line, G351 Hefeng section; Ezhou City Ten-Mile Red Road, Dangyang City Yuquan Temple to Shuanglian Road, and Zigui County Zhimao Road.

The S68 Three Gorges Dam Highway spans approximately 56.7 kilometers and serves as a vital expressway channel for the Three Gorges dam transit system. It connects tourist resources such as the Three Gorges Dam, Qu Yuan’s Hometown, Three Gorges Bamboo Sea, and Chexi Folk Tourism Area. During its construction, careful consideration was given to the landscape positioning of the route, incorporating regional cultural elements to create the “Three Gorges Waterfall” and featuring depictions of the dam’s grandeur and Tujia folk residences in relief wall art.

Beautiful Highways have significantly contributed to high-quality development of regional tourism and rural revitalization. A bed and breakfast owner in Zigui County mentioned that since the opening of the Dam Highway, self-driving tourists have been arriving in a continuous stream, and his family’s脐橙 (citrus) pre-orders have tripled. This “Golden Corridor” has attracted over 2 million tourists, boosting numerous homestays and bed and breakfasts along the route and turning travel footprints into real economic benefits.

Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam is a massive hydroelectric gravity dam on the Yangtze River in China, completed in 2006. It is the world’s largest power station by installed capacity and was built to control devastating floods and generate clean energy. Its construction, however, involved the controversial relocation of over a million people and the submergence of numerous historical and archaeological sites.

Qu Yuan’s Hometown

Qu Yuan’s Hometown refers to Zigui County in Hubei Province, China, the birthplace of the famous patriotic poet and minister from the Warring States period (circa 340–278 BCE). It is a significant cultural site that commemorates his life and literary contributions, most notably his authorship of the “Chu Ci” (Songs of Chu) poetry. The area features memorial halls and a cultural park dedicated to preserving his legacy and the tradition of the Dragon Boat Festival, which honors his death.

Three Gorges Bamboo Sea

The Three Gorges Bamboo Sea is a scenic national forest park located in Yichang, Hubei Province, China, renowned for its vast, breathtaking bamboo forests covering the mountains. Historically, the area has been celebrated in Chinese poetry and art for centuries, embodying the traditional cultural appreciation for bamboo’s resilience and elegance. It offers visitors stunning natural landscapes with waterfalls, caves, and hiking trails woven throughout the bamboo groves.

Chexi Folk Tourism Area

The Chexi Folk Tourism Area is a scenic rural destination in China’s Hunan Province, known for its traditional Tujia ethnic minority culture and picturesque landscapes. It was developed to showcase the region’s indigenous architecture, agricultural practices, and folk customs, offering visitors an immersive experience into the area’s heritage.

Yuquan Temple

Yuquan Temple is a historic Buddhist temple located at the foot of Yuquan Hill in Dangyang, Hubei Province, China. It was originally built during the Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD) and is renowned for its Iron Pagoda, which dates to the Northern Song Dynasty (1061 AD). The temple is considered one of the “Four Great Temples” of the Jingchu region and remains an active site of worship and cultural heritage.

Yangtze River Bridge

The Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing was the first double-decker, combined road-rail truss bridge to be built across the Yangtze River in China. Completed in 1968, it was a major infrastructural achievement of the era and a powerful symbol of self-reliance, as it was designed and built by Chinese engineers without foreign assistance. It remains a vital transportation link and a significant historical landmark.

Tujia folk residences

Tujia folk residences are traditional stilted wooden houses (known as diaojiaolou) built by the Tujia ethnic minority in China’s mountainous Wuling region. Historically constructed to adapt to the rugged terrain, these elevated structures protect against dampness, wildlife, and floods while utilizing local timber. They represent a significant architectural tradition that reflects the Tujia people’s harmonious adaptation to their natural environment over centuries.

Zhigao Road

Zhigao Road is a major thoroughfare in Shanghai’s Pudong district, known for its modern high-rise buildings and as a hub for technology and finance. The area’s development accelerated in the 1990s as part of Shanghai’s rapid economic expansion and urban renewal, transforming it from largely undeveloped land into a contemporary business center. It exemplifies the city’s dramatic modernization and serves as a key artery in the Lujiazui financial area.