Before a boat enters Xiling Gorge, it passes through the 47-kilometer long Xiangxi (Fragrant River) valley. As you travel through Xiling, the precipitous peaks flanking the riverbanks gradually give way to undulating hills.

Zigui, the town where the Xiangxi River joins the Yangtze River, lies the tomb and memorial pavilion for Qu Yuan (339-278 BC). A renowned poet, politician, and thinker, he lived in the town during the Warring States Period. Qu Yuan was an important official of the Chu State but later exiled for political dissidence. During his banishment, Qu Yuan produced his literary masterpieces, "Li Sao" and "Tian Wen". When Qu Yuan heard that his country had been defeated by the powerful Qin State, he was plunged into such deep despair that he drowned himself in the Miluo River in Hunan Province on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, 278 BC.

Upon hearing news of his death, people of the Chu State rushed to the scene in their boats to search for his body. Boat racing then became popular in many southern cities and towns in memory of Qu Yuan on the day of his death.