Iron Coffin Gorge Travel Guide

Brief Introduction of Iron Coffin Gorge

Iron Coffin Gorge stretches 10 kilometers, with queer stones on the both banks which carved by nature, very interesting. On the east bank cliff, there is a shinning gold long stone which looks like a giant dragon come back from far away, and with the head is in the cave. There is a cave on the opposite mountain waist, with yellow round stones in it which looks like a fierce tiger is going out of the cave. There are some hanging stalactites on the west bank cliff, which looks like two horses with heads in the mountain, but the tails and hind legs are in outside. People found there was a black suspending coffin on the east bank, over water surface for four or five meters, hence named this gorge as "Iron Coffin Gorge". It was proved that "iron coffin" is suspending coffin of Ba people in Warring States Period, which is not made up of iron, just for its color looks like iron. Presently, the best protected suspending coffins are in Jinzhou Dam, which is 25 kilometers away from the northeast of Wuxi County. There are 24 black coffins, named Longjin (Dragon Comes in), HuJin (Tiger Comes in), Maguishan (Horse Back to the Mountain). The special local products in there are Mt. Wu codonopsis, Daning River colorful stone.

Historical Origin of Iron Coffin Gorge

It was proved by experts that there were many suspending coffins in Iron Coffin Gorge which have been damaged. Now, there is a ship coffin in a cave. According to legend, "ship coffin burial" is a kind of burial custom of Ba people in ancient. When the ancestor of Ba people – Wu Xiang competed for the chief position, he made a soil ship which didn't broke when it in water. So he got the position and became the pioneer of Ba Kingdom. After Wu Xiang Died, his descendants wanted to commemorate his legendary event, they made a ship-like wooden coffin for him and placed this coffin on high rocks, which means his soul has came into paradise. Later, the descendants and great officers of Wu Xiang imitated this burial way after they died, and there formed the "ship coffin burial" custom.