Today, cruise ships navigating the Yangtze River and its tributaries allow tourists to enjoy the stunning scenery that poet Li Bai once acclaimed.

"With monkeys' sad adieux the riverbanks are loud;

my skiff has left ten thousand mountains far away."

Here, modern exploration and ancient longing converge on the river's timeless current.

China Daily takes you on a journey to some of the top sites along the middle reaches of this mighty waterway.

Zhou Lihua contributed to this story.