Baiheliang Underwater Museum – Ticket Price, Opening Hours, Transportation, and Highlights

The name “Baiheliang” finds its roots in the natural stone ledge found in the northern part of Chongqing’s Fuling District, stretching for 1,600 meters and averaging 15 meters in width. This geological formation, previously known as “Bazi Liang,” is perpetually submerged beneath the river’s waters, only revealing itself during the low-water seasons in winter and spring. Ancient legends describe white cranes frequently congregating on this stone ledge, spreading their wings, frolicking, and displaying their graceful necks. One enduring tale even suggests that during the Northern Wei period, the immortal Erzhu Zhen practiced his ascension to the heavens on the back of a white crane from this very location. As a result of these mystical associations and historical references, the site became known as Baiheliang, which means “White Crane Ledge.”

The inception of the Baiheliang Underwater Museum can be traced back to the early 1990s. With the initiation of the Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project in 1992, the completion of the Three Gorges Dam signaled an increase in the normal reservoir water level to 175 meters. This development spelled the permanent submersion of Baiheliang beneath the river’s depths. In 1993, China’s central government proposed the establishment of an underwater museum at the original Baiheliang site.

In 2002, Professor Ge Xiurun from Shanghai Jiaotong University, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, introduced the innovative concept of a “pressure-resistant container” for the protection of the Baiheliang inscriptions. This idea gained traction and ultimately paved the way for the Baiheliang Underwater Museum’s construction.

On February 13, 2003, construction officially commenced on the underwater preservation project at Baiheliang, consisting of four essential components: the “Underwater Museum,” the “Connecting Traffic Corridor,” “Submerged Collision Piers,” and the “Ground Exhibition Hall.” After several years of meticulous construction, numerous technical challenges were overcome, culminating in the official opening of the Baiheliang Underwater Museum on May 18, 2009.

The Baiheliang site is adorned with 160 inscriptions still visible on the submerged stone ledge, comprising approximately 11,000 characters in various calligraphic styles, including regular script, clerical script, seal script, cursive script, and grass script. Most of these inscriptions date from the Song Dynasty, with contributions from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties as well. These inscriptions are monumental in size, with the largest ones measuring approximately 2 square meters, while the smaller ones are less than 0.4 meters in length and width. This remarkable collection of submerged inscriptions is often referred to as a “submerged forest of stone tablets” and holds immense historical and scientific value.

The inscriptions at Baiheliang offer invaluable historical insights into the Yangtze River’s water levels, agricultural practices, and navigation. They serve as a reliable historical reference for water conservancy projects on the Yangtze River.

The ground exhibition hall at the Baiheliang Underwater Museum is divided into three levels. The first level serves as a reception and functional space, featuring an information desk, an introductory hall, a waiting area for underwater tours, and a souvenir shop. The second level functions as the main exhibition space and is divided into four thematic areas: “Water – Hydrological Observations in the World’s Great River Civilizations,” “Ruler – The Scientific Value of Baiheliang’s Inscriptions,” “Poetry – The Cultural Value of Baiheliang’s Inscriptions,” and “Museum – The World’s First Underwater Inscription Museum.” The third level offers a panoramic view of the Yangtze River.

The underwater viewing area of the Baiheliang Underwater Museum comprises four sections: a sloping corridor, a horizontal corridor, a viewing corridor, and the original location of the underwater inscriptions. Constructed using pressure-resistant metals and featuring 23 glass observation windows, this area allows visitors to closely examine and study the inscriptions on Baiheliang. It provides a unique opportunity to experience the site’s submerged heritage up close, offering a window to the past beneath the river’s surface.

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