Tibet + Three Gorges Tour

"This trip may only last for fourteen days, but the experience of Tibetan culture and the memory of the beautiful Three Gorges scenery will last for a lifetime."

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Three Gorges Tour

The boat for our cruise

The Yangtze River is the longest river in China as well as one of the longest rivers in the world. The Three Gorges on the Yangtze River are Famous for their breathtaking scenery, and are praised as nature's art gallery and wonderland. Of the three Gorges, the Qutang Gorge is magnificent and precipitous, the Wuxia Gorge is deep and beautiful and the Xiling Gorge has rapids and many rocks. The water in the Mini Three Gorges is clean and both banks are blanketed with trees and have many historical sites, scenic spots and lovely legends. Today, a huge dam is being built along the Three Gorges. After completion, it will offer visitors a new look amidst the precipitous gorges.

Three Gorges Project capable of generating 47 bln kwh of power

UPDATED: 08:38, January 13, 2005

The Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River in China will be able to generate 47 billion kwh of electricity this year.

An executive with China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation explained that the installed capacity of the project would increase to 9.8 million kw as the last three of the 14 planned generating units on the northern bank of the Yangtze River will begin power generation and be brought onto the grid later this year.

Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project is being built in three stages on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest. Preparations and construction of the first phase were carried out between 1993 and 1997. The Yangtze was dammed at the Three Gorges area for the first time on November 8, 1997.

In accordance with an original plan, the Three Gorges Project, with an estimated cost of 180 billion yuan (approximately US$21.7 billion), will have 26 generators with a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million kW. The project will be able to generate 84.7 billion ks/hours of electric power annually when it is completed in 2009.

But, a revision of the plan also calls for inclusion of a new underground power plant with six new 700,000-kW generators. The remaining 18 generating units of the Three Gorges Project, which is also one of the major water control works to harness the Yangtze, will all be installed on the southern bank of the river.

Eleven generators had been put into service by July 10, 2003 when the first of the project's generators began working. The project produced 39.1 billion kwh of electricity last year, 5.72 billion kwh more than the state-set quota.

Half of the power generated was sent to economically developed east China, 25 percent to central China and the remainder to south China's Guangdong Province, said Li Yong'an, general manager of China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation.

Source: Xinhua

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200501/13/eng20050113_170462.html

Three Gorges Project generates 10 bln kwh of electricity

UPDATED: 12:06, May 04, 2005

The Three Gorges Hydropower Plant has generated 10 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in the first four months this year.

Li Yong'an, general manager of China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation, said Friday the project had generated 58 billion kwh since July 10, 2003, when the first generator started to produce electricity.

Twelve generators with an installed generating capacity of 9.8 million kw have been operating at the plant, which is being built on the middle section of the Yangtze.

The Three Gorges Project, with an estimated cost of 180 billion yuan (approximately 21.7 billion US dollars), will have 26 generators with a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million kw and be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of hydro-electric power annually when it is completed in 2009.

The project will also restart a new underground power workshop with a planed installed capability of 4.2 kw containing six generating units. The workshop's construction was postponed earlier this year out of environmental concern.

Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project is designed to draw power from the Yangtze, China's longest river. The massive project was planned in three stages. Preparations and construction in the first phase were carried out between 1993 and 1997.

So far, an investment of 113.1 billion yuan (13.6 billion US dollars) has been spent on the project and the planed investment scale can be under control amid escalating prices of building materials, according to the general manager.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200505/04/eng20050504_183682.html

Three Gorges power plant generates 8.6 bln kwh of electricity

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 04, 2004

China's Three Gorges hydropower plant, with six generating units now in operation, had generated 8.6 billion kwh of electricity by the end of 2003.

The first generating unit went into operation in July 2003, and another five were put into use successively. The plant plans to commission four more generating units in 2004.

Situated in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the plant is designed to have a total of 26 generating units with each having an installed capacity of 700,000 kw.

When all units are in operation, expected by 2009, the plant will be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200401/04/eng20040104_131794.shtml

Sichuan Province

Chongqing: Dazu Stone Sculptures, stone carvings at Beishan Mountain

Seniors' China Tour

Wanxian County: Baidi Town, the Qutang Gorge, Jimen, Daning

Seniors' China Tour

Cliffside Carvings at Baodingshan (Precious Crown Hill)

Seniors' China Tour

Baodingshan (Precious Crown Hill), 15 kilometers northeast of Dazu, is well known for its comprisal of more than 10,000 magnificent sculptures, which were created under the direction of a distinguished local Buddhist monk Zhao Zhifeng in the Song Dynasty (9601279). It has a history of over 800 years. The cliffside carvings in Dafowan (Great Buddha Bend) are best preserved and most numerous. Dafowan is a U-shaped valley. Altogether, 31 niches are arranged in a row on the 30-meter high, 500-meter long precipitous cliffside. The carvings are chiefly about reincarnations of the Sutra. In each niche are groups of sculptures with Buddhist inscriptions, tenets, or eulogies, telling serial stories from the Sutra, just like scrools of ancient picture books. The grottoes at the Precious Crown Hill are characterized by their distinct national style, local themes, and secularized renditions. These features make the grottoes a treasure house of grotto art in China.

Qutang Gorge

Seniors' China Tour

Qutang Gorge extends from Baidicheng in the west to the town of Daxizhen in the east. It is the shortest but the most magnificent of the Three Gorges. Qutang Gorge is also known as Kuixia Gorge. The broadest part of the gorge is only 150 meters, while the narrowest is less than 100 meters. At the mouth of the gorge stand two perpendicular cliffs facing each other. They look like two giant gates, hence the name Kui Gate or Qutang Pass. It is also the most dangerous and feared part of the Three Gorges.

On the north bank of the gorge is Chijia (Red Scale) Mountain, which looks crimson. Opposite it stands the Baiyan (White Salt) Mountain, which bears the color of grayish white. Presenting a sharp color contrast, the two mountains make a marvelous view. In addition to Baidicheng, there are many other scenic spots and places of historical interest in the gorge, such as the peculiar rock called the Monk Hanging by the Feet, the legendary Meng Liang Staircase, the Fengxiang (Bellows) Gorge, an ancient plank road built on the face of a cliff, and the Phoenix Spring, etc.

Daning River and the Little Three Gorges

Seniors' China Tour

The Daning River, a 300 kilometer tributary that joins the Yangtze River at the mouth of the Wuxia Gorge, is full of shoals and whirlpools. With precipitous peaks standing on both sides and turbulent currents smashing against the huge rocks, the small gorges are in many ways like those of the Yangtze River Gorges, hence its name the Little Three Gorges. Famous scenic sites are: Longmen Gorge, Bawu Gorge, Dicui Gorge, Miaoxia Gorge, Yezhuxia Gorge. They are now attracting more and more tourist every year.

Wuxia Gorge

River and Wuxia Gorge

Seniors' China Tour

Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges, stretches from the Daning River Estuary in Chongqing to the Guandukou Estuary in Badong County of Hubei Province. Flanked bycraggy peaks and grotesque rocks, it forms a meandering scenic gallery. The beautiful scenes on both banks are too numerous for the eye to take in all at the same time

On a cruise down the Wuxia Gorge, one can enjoy the beauty of 12 peaks. Six of the the 12 peaks line the northern bank: Shenquan, Jixian, Songluan, Shennu, Chaoyun, and Denglong. Of the other six peaks on the southern bank, only three are visible: Juhe, Cuiping, and Feilong. The other three: Jingtan, Qiyun, and Shangsheng are hidden behind the peaks on the right of the Qingshixi Stream, a tributary of Yangtse River. All the peaks derived their names from their different shapes. Changing with the seasons and weather, these beautiful scenes have everlasting appeal to tourists.

Hunan province

Yueyang: Dongting Lake and Yueyang Tower

Seniors' China Tour

Dongting Lake

Situated in the north of Hunan Province, Dongting Lake is the second largest body of fresh water in China. Now the lake is divided into three sections: East Dongting Lake, South Dongting Lake, and West Dongting Lake. Dongting Lake area is well-known as Land of Fish and Rice. There are several islands in the lake: the most famous is Junshan Island, where silver needle tea is grown. Around the lake there are the Yueyang Tower, Mount Jun, Lu Sus Tomb and a number of sites of historic interest.

Yueyang Tower

Located on the west city wall, the Yueyang Tower is one of the three famous towers in South China. The predecessor of Yueyang Tower was a structure built in the Three Kingdoms period (220 -280 AD) for reviewing military parades. In the fifth year of the Emperor Qingli of the Song Dynasty, it was rebuilt, and the famous Song Dynasty essay writer Fan Zhongyan wrote his famous essay Notes on Yueyang Tower, which was considered matchless in literary beauty and profound thought. The lines in the essay of be concerned before anyone else becomes concerned; enjoy yourself only after everyone else finds enjoyment, has become household words in China.

Yueyang Tower is a three-story wooden structure supported by four pillars. It is nineteen meters tall and has upturned eaves and a helmet shaped roof. The structure is a unique combination of artistic tastes, mechanics, architecture, and craftsmanship. The Tower affords a spectacular view of Dongting Lake.

Xiling Gorge

Seniors' China Tour

The Xiling Gorge is one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River. It is 76 kilometers long, stretching from the Xiangxi stream to Nanjin Pass in Yichang. It is the longest and most difficult one of the three gorges to pass on the Yangtze River. Its channel is full of shoals, whirling pools and submerged reefs, making the water run in different directions. Tourist attractions include the Book on Art of War and Sword Gorge, the Cattle Liver and Horse Lung Gorge, the Lamp Shadow Gorge, the Black Shoal and the Discharge Water Shoal.

Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project

Gezhouba Lock

Located on the Yangtze River north of Yichang City, Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project is the biggest dam on the Yangtze River. It is also the largest hydroelectric power station in the country. The first phase of the project started in 1970, and in 1988 the second phase of the project finished. The Gezhouba dam is 2,606 meters long, and 70 meters high, with a capacity of 271.5 kilo watt.

Shennongjia Scenic Spot

Seniors' China Tour

The Shennongjia District in north-western Hubei has the wildest scenery in the province. With heavily forested mountains reaching over 3,000 meters, the area is famous for the sightings of wild creatures. The whole area occupies 3,250 square kilometers, with an altitude of more than 1,000 meters above sea level. There are 6 mountain peaks, which are higher than 3,000 meters above sea level. In this area grow various plants and wild animals, which are rarely found in other parts of the world.

Jingzhou City in Jiangling

Seniors' China Tour

Jingzhou, now Jiangling County of Hubei, used to be a place of military strategic significance in history. In the year of 689 BC, the State of Chu built its capital here. During the Three Kingdoms Period Jingzhou was the city fought for by the three different kingdom armies. After that four more dynasties set up capitals here. The old Jingzhou City was said to be built more than 1,700 years ago. The existing city walls, 8.3 meters in height, 10 meters in thickness and 10.5 kilometers in length, were built in 1644. In the city there are places of historic interest, including more than 700 tombs of the Chu State nobles and ruins of the Three Kingdoms.

New Towns and cities were built to provide resettlements.

Seniors' China Tour

Wanshou Pagoda (Longevity Pagoda)

Located in Shashi City, the Wanshou Pagoda started to be built in 1548, and construction lasted until 1552. The pagoda is of brick structure, octagonal in shape with seven stories. It is 40 meters high on a giant base of rock. The outside of each floor is decorated with white marble carved with Buddha images in 94 shrines. The bricks of the pagoda are also carved with large numbers of Buddha.

Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan

Located on top of the Snake Mountain in Wuhan City, the Yellow Crane Tower was built 1,700 years ago (223 AD) during the Three Kingdoms Period. It is the most famous tower among the three well-known towers (the Yellow Crane Tower, Yueyang Tower and Tenwang Pavilion) in south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The Yellow Crane Tower has been crowned with unrivaled scenery under heaven. The Tower used to be of complete wood structure. Destroyed many times by fire, the tower was rebuilt several times. Complete renovation of the tower began in 1981, and was completed and open to public in 1985. The design of the new tower was modeled on its last design of the Qing Dynasty. The 5-storied tower is 51.4 meters in height with layers of flying eaves, yellow tiles and columns painted red. The interior of the tower is decorated in the classical Chinese style. To facilitate tourists, the tower is now equipped with elevators and air-conditioning.

The Chimes of Marquis Yi

In the summer of 1978, a set of chimes, consisting of 64 pieces, were unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of the State of Zeng (430 BC) in Suixian County. These chimes were arranged in 8 groups in three different rows. On the surface of the chimes were engraved with 2,800 Chinese characters on music, the earliest record ever found in the world. The chimes now are able to perform music that is pleasant to the ear. This set of chimes is unique both in the history of music, but also in the history of bronze casting. The chimes are now on display in the Museum of Hubei province.

Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)

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1. Chang Jiang River Overview

2. Three Gorges

Introduction

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Yangtze River or Chang Jiang, the longest river of Asia, in China, about 6300 km (about 3937 mi) in length. It rises in the Kunlun Mountains in the southwestern section of Qinghai Province, and flows generally south through Sichuan Province into Yunnan Province, where, in the vicinity of Huize, it bends sharply to the northeast. Then, it flows generally northeast and east across central China through Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangsu Provinces to its mouth in the East China Sea, about 23 km (about 14 mi) north of Shanghai.

The headwaters of the Yangtze are situated at an elevation of about 4900 m (about 16,000 ft). In its descent to sea level, the river falls to an altitude of 305 m (1000 ft) at Yibin, Sichuan Province, the head of navigation for river boats, and to 192 m (630 ft) at Chongqing. Between Chongqing and Yichang (I-ch'ang), at an altitude of 40 m (130 ft) and a distance of about 320 km (about 200 mi), it passes through the spectacular Yangtze Gorges, which are noted for their natural beauty but are dangerous to shipping. Yichang, 1600 km (1000 mi) from the sea, is the head of navigation for river steamers; oceangoing vessels may navigate the river to Hankou (Hankow), a distance of almost 1000 km (almost 600 mi) from the sea. For about 320 km (about 200 mi) inland from its mouth, the river is virtually at sea level.

More than 1,683,500 sq km (650,000 sq mi) of territory are drained by the Yangtze and its branches. The principal tributaries are the Han, Yalong, Jialing, Min, and Tuo He (T'o Ho), on the N and on the south, the Wu; at Zhenjiang, the Grand Canal links the Yangtze to the Huang He (Huang Ho). During periods of heavy rains, Lakes Dongting and Poyang receive some of the overflow of the Yangtze. Despite these outlets, floods caused by the river occasionally have caused great destruction of life and property. In the 20th century, devastating floods have occurred in 1905, 1980, and 1981.

With its numerous tributaries and feeders, the Yangtze provides a great transportation network through the heart of some of the most densely populated and economically important areas in China. Among the principal cities on the Yangtze, in addition to those cited in the foregoing, are Wuchang, Nanjing, Hanyang, and Anqing (An-ch'ing). Jiangsu Province, largely a deltaic plain consisting of silt deposited by the Yangtze (more than 170 million cu m/6 billion cu ft annually), is one of the chief rice-growing areas of China.

Although the entire river (jiang) is known as the Yangtze to foreigners, the Chinese apply that designation only to the last 480 or 645 km (300 or 400 mi) of its course, the portion traversing the region identified with the Yang kingdom (flourished about 10th century bc). From Its upper reaches to Yibin, the river is called the Jinsha (Chin-sha), or "Golden Sand" and various other names are applied in the provinces it traverses. The official name for the entire river is Chang Jiang, or "Long River."

Three Gorges Dam Project

Location: Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei province

Height: 181 meters

Expected investment: 203.9 billion renminbi (US$24.65 billion)

Number of migrants: 1.13 million

Installed power generation capacity: 18.2 million kilowatts

Functions: Flood control, power generation, improved navigation

Construction timetable (source: China Daily Business Weekly):

1993-1997: The Yangtze River was diverted after four years in November 1997

1998-2003: The first batch of generators will begin to generate power in 2003 and a permanent ship lock is scheduled to open for navigation the same year.

2004-2009: The entire project is to be completed by 2009 when all 26 generators will be able to generate power.

Fund sources (source: China Daily Business Weekly):

The Three Gorges Dam Construction Fund

Revenue from Gezhouba Power Plant

Policy loans from the China Development Bank

Loans from domestic and foreign commercial banks

Corporate bonds

History

Early debates

Sun Yatsen first proposed building a dam on the Yangtze River in 1919 for power generation purposes, but the idea was shelved due to unfavorable political and economic conditions. Major floods resurrected the idea and the government adopted it in 1954 for flood control.

Vice minister of Electric Power Li Rui initially argued that the dam should be multipurpose, that smaller dams should be built first until China could afford such a costly project and that construction should proceed in stages to allow time to solve technical problems, according to Chinese issues scholars Kenneth Lieberthal and Michel Oksenberg.

Later, Li Rui concluded that the dam should not be built at all since it would be too costly. He added that the dam would also flood many cities and fertile farmland, subject the middle and lower reaches of the river to catastrophic flooding during construction and would not contribute much to shipping. Sichuan province officials also objected to the construction since Sichuan, located upstream, would shoulder most of the costs while downstream Hubei province would receive most of the benefits.

Lin Yishan, head of the Yangtze Valley Planning Office, which was in charge of the project, favored the dam construction, however. His optimism about resolving technical problems was further encouraged in 1958 by the favorable political climate and the support from the late chairman Mao Zedong, who wanted China to have the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, according to Lieberthal and Oksenberg. Criticisms were suppressed. But depression resulted from the disastrous Great Leap Forward (a political campaign boasting China's economic development) and ended the preparation work in 1960.

The idea resurfaced in 1963 as part of the new policies to build a "third front" of industry in southwest China. But the Cultural Revolution erupted in 1966, and in 1969 the fear that the dam would be sabotaged by the Soviet Union, now an enemy, resulted in a construction delay. In 1970 work was resumed on Gezhouba, a smaller dam downstream, but it soon ran into severe technical problems and cost overruns that seemed likely to plague the Three Gorges Dam on an even larger scale.

The economic reforms introduced in 1978 underlined the need for more electric power to supply a growing industrial base, so the State Council approved the construction in 1979. A feasibility study was conducted in 1982 to 1983 to appease the increasing number of critics, who complained that the project did not adequately address technical, social, nor environmental issues.

According to Lieberthal and Oksenberg, leaders from Chongqing also demanded suddenly that the dam height be raised so substantially that it would cripple the project and free them from bearing the brunt of the costs. The new height and the demand for a more reliable study with the use of international standards resulted in a new feasibility study in 1986. But a few scientists dared to sign off on a project that had already been approved.

Ecologist Hou Xueyu was among the few who refused to sign the environmental report because it falsely hyped the environmental benefits provided by the dam, failed to convey the real extent of environmental impact and lacked adequate solutions to environmental concerns.

Environmentalists at home and abroad began to protest more vociferously. Human rights advocates criticized the resettlement plan. Archeologists balked at the submergence of a huge number of historical sites. Many mourned the loss of some of the world's finest scenery.

Increasing numbers of engineers doubted whether the dam would actually achieve its stated purposes. Chinese journalist/engineer Dai Qing published a book of relentless critiques of the project by Chinese scientists. Yet many foreign construction companies continued to press their governments to financially support the construction in hopes of winning contracts.

The project is approved

In the face of a lot of domestic and international pressure, the State Council agreed in March 1989 to suspend the construction plans for five years. After the Tiananmen Square massacre in June 1989, however, the government forbade public debate of the dam, accused foreign critics of ignorance or intent to undermine the regime, and imprisoned Dai Qing and other famous critics.

Former Premier Li Peng crusaded for the dam and pushed it through the National People's Congress in April 1992 despite the opposition or abstention from one-third of the delegates. Such actions were unprecedented from a body that usually rubberstamped all government proposals.

Resettlement soon began, and physical preparations started in 1994. While the government solicited technology, services, hardware and financing from abroad, leaders reserved the engineering and construction contracts for Chinese firms.

But corruption scandals plagued the project. It was believed that contractors have won bids through bribery and then skimped on equipment and materials to siphon off construction funds. The head of the Three Gorges Economic Development Corp. allegedly sold jobs in his company, took out project-related loans and disappeared with the money in May 2000. Officials from the Three Gorges Resettlement Bureau were caught embezzling funds from resettlement programs in January 2000.

Much of the project's infrastructure was so shoddy that Premier Zhu Rongji ordered to rip it out in 1999 after a number of high-profile accidents. To offset construction costs, project officials had quietly changed the operating plan approved by the NPC to fill the reservoir after six years rather than 10. In response, 53 engineers and academics petitioned President Jiang Zemin twice in the first half of 2000 to delay full filling of the reservoir and relocating the local population until scientists could determine whether a higher reservoir was viable given the sedimentation problems. But construction continued.

Debate over the dam

Cost: The project is thought to have cost more than any other single construction project in history, with unofficial estimates as high as US$75 billion or more. Supporters reported, however, that the plan is within its US$25 billion budget and insisted early on that the project would pay for itself through electricity generation. To some, this seems unlikely given that there is no current market for the electricity produced by Gezhouba dam, which is supposed to partially finance the project, as a result of a glut of electricity from the closure of many state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

Supporters further argued that demand would rise once a new national transmission grid is in place. But those from Probe International, a Canada-based organization opposed to the dam, believe that by the time the demand has climbed, competition from cheaper, superior alternatives will have drawn away the ratepayers. Unless they are forced to buy the Three Gorges power, or unless the government subsidizes the power and indirectly passes the cost onto the taxpayers, it will be impossible to recoup the investment in the project, which will then go bankrupt, the critics added.

Meanwhile, critics fear that other projects in need of investment will suffer as China throws all of its resources into one big boondoggle. Experts believe that the project faces a shortage of funds, especially since many foreign financiers and governments, with some notable exceptions, have considered the dam too risky to get involved.

Resettlement: In the 1980s, China passed regulations to protect the rights of those displaced by the dam projects and assure them of adequate compensation. But human rights activists asserted that rural dwellers are being discriminated, that they are not being consulted about their eviction, that they are often crowded onto poor land with unsatisfactory living conditions and few job opportunities, that they are not being taught new job skills, that corruption is diverting the funds meant to compensate them, that their local culture is threatened and that the government has provided no channels for them to express dissatisfaction.

But supporters denied these charges and pointed out how the lives and property of those 15 million people living downstream would be improved from the reduction of devastating floods and from the extra electricity supply, which is expected to stimulate the local economy, provide more jobs and improve the standard of living.

Environment: Dam defenders point to the environmental benefits given by the dam, such as the availability of hydroelectric power, which is much cleaner than the coal burning China has relied heavily for decades. They believe the dam will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing coal burning (thereby protecting the ozone layer) and have none of the radiation hazards at nuclear plants.

Critics pointed out, however, that new, cheaper alternatives such as gas-fueled combined cycle plants and co-generators produce virtually no pollution or greenhouse gases. They added that water pollution would increase as the power of the Yangtze, which helps flush pollutants dumped by the factories on the riverbanks, is reduced and as more factories are relocated to the edge of the reservoir. But dam defenders said they would prevent pollution while critics alleged that officials had merely told ships to stop dumping sewage.

Opponents also said the dam would alter the current ecosystem and threaten the habitats of various endangered species of fish, waterfowl and other animals. They added that the project would necessitate extensive logging in the area and erode much of the coastline. But dam defenders pointed to measures such as fish ladders being taken to address these issues, which some critics believed would be ineffective.

Local culture and natural beauty: Opponents said the 600-kilometer (370 mile) long reservoir would inundate some 1,300 archeological sites, destroy the legendary beauty of the Three Gorges and thereby substantially reduce the tourism revenue. Dam defenders said, however, that many cultural and historical relics are being moved to higher ground and that the rise in the water level would not affect the scenery as much as the critics claimed.

Navigation: Dam defenders asserted that the project, which involves the installation of ship locks, would increase river shipping from 10 million to 50 million tons annually, with transportation costs cut by 30 to 37 percent. Shipping would become safer although the gorges have been notoriously dangerous to navigate. Critics argued, however, that heavy siltation would clog ports such as Chongqing within a few years based on the evidence from other dam projects.

Power generation: A major justification for the dam is the power it will generate from its 26 700-megawatt turbine generators, which equals the energy produced by 18 nuclear plants or the burning of 40 million tons of coal. The power is to be sent through transmission lines mostly to eastern and central China to solve energy shortages there, where economic development is being held back.

As China's per capita energy consumption is only one-third of the world average, and 60 million rural dwellers now lack electricity, the market potential is vast, said the dam defenders, who have also touted the inexpensiveness of hydroelectricity compared to other traditional power generation technologies.

But critics from Probe International argued that there is now an oversupply of electricity in the area because of the closure of many SOEs since 1998, the availability of power from existing hydroelectric dams and the rapid expansion of China's power-generating capacity by 10,000-megawatts annually.

Moreover, even after demand recovers, the ratepayers in a decentralized energy market will defect to new, more technologically sophisticated alternatives, such as the energy provided by combined cycle plants, which are cleaner, cheaper, safer, more reliable, uses less fuel, promises faster returns on investment, requires less capital investment, does not require an expensive long-distance transmission system, permits greater local control over electricity supply and investment, adapts easily to rapid changes in energy needs and carries no risk of black outs. In other words, hydro-dams are already obsolete.

The experts predicted that the market for combined cycle plants could take off in five years once natural gas supplies are adequate, gas prices are allowed to rise to reflect real costs and the ratepayers are charged for transmission costs, which will increase the cost to consumers of the electricity supplied by the dam. But the dam defenders believed that the alternatives would not be able to outstand hydroelectricity at the moment.

Flood control: Dam defenders now emphasize the dam's contribution to flood control, averring that the reservoir's 22.1 billion cubic meter (28.9 billion cubic yard) flood storage capacity will lessen the frequency of big downstream floods from once every 10 years to once every 100 years. But critics believe that the Yangtze will add 530 million tons of silt into the reservoir on average per year and it will soon be useless in preventing floods. Furthermore, the dam could never prevent floods on downstream tributaries. Worse, increased sedimentation resulting from the dam could increase the already high flood level at Chongqing.

Others said such a large dam would increase seismic activity in the area and that a consequent earthquake could burst the dam, especially if construction is faulty. But dam defenders said the risk of this is remote.

Probe International asserted that the dam does not address the real source of flooding, which is the loss of forest cover in the Yangtze watershed and the loss of 13,000 square km of lakes (which had greatly helped to alleviate floods) due to siltation, reclamation and uncontrolled development. Instead of a dam, they recommended dykes and channel improvements, overflow area designation, better zoning, flood proofing and flood warning systems.

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