The city received its present name during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and became a foreign Treaty Port in 1902. As the halfway city between Yichang and Chongqing, Wanxian was a main port for East Sichuan merchandise (including large quantities of tung oil, used in treating wooden junks.) early travelers commented on the huge number of junks anchored at Wanxian. The city is known as the Gateway to East Sichuan. You may visit silk-weaving factories and the Three Gorges Museum and enjoy the exiting acrobatic show and take a leisurely tour of busy local market. Visitors can see city's ten free markets sells local produce and seasonal delicacies such as mountain mushrooms or live eels. There was a community of foreign missionaries in Sichuan before 1949, and two churches -one Catholic and one Protestant-continue to draw sizeable congregations of country folk.