The Yangtze River
The three Gorges Project on China’s Yangtze River is the largest hydro-electric project in the world, in terms of installed capacity. Appropriate for the country with the largest population in the world.
Fully operational in 2009, fourteen years after start-up, the dam now backs up as much as 32 million acre feet of water. But to create such a reservoir, it was necessary to relocate over 1.3 million people. When filled, it flooded about 244 square miles.
To negotiate the 360 feet difference between the downstream river and the upstream river, a system of five gigantic locks were built for each direction. These allow for multiple ships to move upriver at the same time multiple ships are moving downriver. Each ship will require approximately four hours to pass through
all five locks.
To help speed things up, a ship lift has been built which will cut the time to traverse between the two levels to about thirty-seven minutes. However, the elevator will handle only ships with gross weights between one thousand tons and three thousand tons. Of course, the elevator also has to haul the water necessary to float a three thousand ton vessel. Impressive. At the time we were there, the elevator was complete but had not been put into operation.
Now, five years after completion of the Three Gorges Project, several million Chinese live on the banks of this fourth longest river in the world. In some area, hundreds of twenty-five to thirty-five story apartment and condo buildings line the banks. Huge bridges tower over the waterway with amazing frequency. Unfortunately, even on the Yangtze, pollution is a serious problem.
The scenery through these gorges is spectacular. Sheer cliffs cascade to the water, sometimes allowing a narrow road to pass; sometimes not. As you float along, ancient pagodas high on the mountains are highlighted against the sky. And while modern architecture can be seen from almost any point on the river, the influence of ancient China is evident everywhere.
Our four days on the Yangtze River were a constant exposure to nature’s grandeur and beauty. As visitors, we could ignore the tremendous economic value of this section of river. But the striking beauty and the closeness to ancient China made this yet another highlight of our visit to China.
Please leave me a comment on China and the Yangtze, and “like” or “share” this post. Thank you.
Jim Callan
Jim,
A few minutes after I read this post I went for a run in Latimore Park, Horn Lake, Mississippi. On one of the trails I found this sign, “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” Frank Lloyd Wright. Even though I was a long way from China, I flashed to your post and thought, this works.
Thanks for sharing.
Bert
`What a very nice comment, Bert. I like the Wright quote and thank the person responsible for putting such a sign on a nature trail. Thanks for stopping by.
My pleasure.
I doubt if I’ll ever make it to China, Jim. So postings like this make me almost feel like I’m there. You really capture the experience through your words and the photos. I love that you’re writing about the trip and holding onto the memories of that amazing journey. My senior writing students do this about their travels — and I, they, and their families are delighted to share the adventures.
Hi Eileen and thanks for visiting. I’m glad you enjoyed my ramblings on my wanderings. China really was a great trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Vastly different from what we thought before visiting. And I’m glad you are encouraging your students to capture memories. Only after the memories are mostly gone do most of us realize that we need to capture them. Good comments. Thanks.
You’ve whetted my appetite, Jim, to visit the beautiful Yangtse, teeming with fish, carp, history, five locks, and one giant dam. Damn! Gotta go.
Pack those bags and head on over, Marta. It’s a great place to visit – and it will definitely change some of your perceptions on China. Well, at least it certainly changed mine. Thanks for visiting.
This was a post I absolutely had to read. My grandfather was in the Navy from 1904-1907, and his ship was part of the Yangtze River Patrol. He left me some amazing photos from China and around the world. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Marja, you have a treasure trove. Pictures from that time are priceless. I’ve talked with people who visited China in 1982 – just after it let outsiders in. It has changed a tremendous since then. Bt from 1907? Wow. Keep those pictures safe. And thanks for stopping by. jim
Thanks, Marni, for the comment. And I’m glad I shared this with you since you don’t sound like you’ll get over there. It IS a long way. From the time we left the hotel in Hong Kong until we got to our home in east Texas, it was a 22 hour trip back. Too long. But overall, the China visit was great.
What a wonderful trip you had and a once in a life time experience. Thanks for sharing these wonders with us.
It was a wonderful trip, Elaine, and probably is a once in a life-time experience. Although I’d love to go back, there are so many other places I haven’t visited for the first time. So, they get priority. But this was a memorable trip. Thanks for stopping by.
Awesome! Would never see yhis view otherwise. Thanks!