IMPERIAL JEWELS OF CHINA - October 6, 2015

DAY 5 - Three Gorges Dam and Xiling Gorge

Today would prove to be a busy, but exciting day.  It was misty and cool and we were hoping to be able to tour the Three Gorges Dam.  Thankfully, the rain stopped and in the late afternoon we boarded the busses for our tour.  More of this later ....

Terry Lei, the ship's Program Director gave us a talk on the Three Gorges Dam during the day.  At Sandouping village is the site of the monumental Three Gorges Dam project.  This immense hydroelectric project displaced 1.5 million people (estimates range between 1.2 and 1.9 million) and submerged numerous archaeological sites and nearly 2,000 villages, towns and cities.  Although the dam is controversial, it is important to remember that more than one million people have died from Yangtze flooding in just the last 100 years, and the dam holds promise of controlling the centuries-old devastation.  Additionally, today China burns 50 million tons of coal per year, one of the most polluting forms of energy, and the hydroelectric plant will produce as much as one-ninth of the large nation's electricity -- the equivalent power of 15 nuclear plants.

The Three Gorges Dam is the most ambitious engineering project of its kind.  The idea was first proposed in the 1920's and the Chinese government finally approved it in 1992.  Ten years later, in November 2002, the damming of the diversion channel was completed.  The second phase was completed in June 2003 when two passenger ships made the first passage through the new five-level locks.  The river today has risen to 575 feet above sea level, creating a lake behind the dam and smoothing out the shoals and rapids on the river.

During the afternoon we sailed through Xiling Gorge which is the largest of the three Yangtze River Gorges.  Lined with sheer cliffs, Xiling is known for its many smaller gorges and caves.

Sailing through Xiling Gorge and local fishermen who live on their boats

Around 2 pm, the ship sailed into the Gezhouba Dam Ship Lock and an hour later we left the ship to tour the Dam.  The tour bus took us to the viewing area for the dam and then we drove up to the top of a hill to view the locks.

Waiting in line to through Gezhouba Dam lock

We are in the lock

Three Gorges Dam

Monument overlooking the locks

The locks

Waiting at the base of the 5 locks

The passage through these 5-stage locks took nearly four hours and dramatically highlighted the immense scope of the project.

Passage through the locks at night

This was a very exciting and interesting day.  Along the river, during the day we saw many beautiful sights, local people and many cities.  Here are some random shots ....