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Yangtze River - 1995

Yangtze River - 1995

Jacek Pałkiewicz
2006-06-18 21:30:25

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world, the Yangtze stretches an impressive 3,900 miles across China before reaching its mouth in the estuary near Shanghai. Emerging from the glaciers and snows of the Tibetan plateau, the Yangtze River rages through the mountainous terrain of western China, its relentless flow sculpting immense gorges that are known across the world as the Three Great Gorges.

The Yangtze is revered for its role in providing sustenance to those who inhabit its banks. For thousands of years, these people have tilled its fertile plains, fished its deep pools and navigated its channels, reaping its benefits as a conduit of trade. It is no wonder the river is considered "China's Lifeline."

Deep in China's rural heartland, along the third longest river in the world, a massive construction project is underway. Once completed, the Three Gorges Dam will be the largest and most powerful hydro-electric project in the world. Towering 610 feet high and stretching 1.3 miles wide, the dam will create a reservoir that extends nearly 400 miles upstream, forever changing the landscape of one of the most beautiful regions in China.

The project has been under consideration by various leaders in China since the idea of a dam was first proposed in 1919. The Three Gorges Dam is both a marvel of engineering and the greatest challenge its designers have ever faced. When finished, the dam will contain twice the amount of concrete of the Itaipu project in Brazil, currently the world's largest dam. The Three Gorges project has been engineered to store over 5 trillion gallons of water and to withstand an earthquake of 7.0 on the Richter scale. The reservoir will allow 10,000-ton freighters to enter the nation's interior, which currently limits access to boats under 1,500 tons. In addition to increasing commercial shipping access to China's interior, the government says the dam will control devastating floods and provide much-needed electrical power to China's ...