As we continued upstream today, we passed the Huanglimg Temple (Temple of Yellow Mound), which is located at the basin of the south bank of the Yangtze. It is said to have been first built during the Spring and Autumn Period and then rebuilt by Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms period. The present palace of Emperor Yu was built in 1618 AD. Preserved inside the temple are the statute of the ancient anti-flood hero, Yu the Great, stone tablets and a variety of other writings.

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the construction site of the Three Gorges Dam at Sandouping Village. When it is completed in 2009, it will be the world’s largest dam, measuring 606 feet high and 6,500 feet long.

Although a dam was proposed as long ago as 1919 by Sun Yat-Sen, the present site was selected by an American team of engineers in the 1940s. The project gained momentum in the 1980s and began in earnest in 1990. In 1997, the cofferdam was completed and the main structure begun. The dam will have two five-stage locks to raise and lower ships to the different levels fo the river. Each lock in the five stages will be 65 feet high and 910 feet long.

This massive project has pitted China’s economic interests against the concerns of historic preservationists and environmentalists worldwide. In addition to flooding some of the world’s most spectacular scenic areas and rich ecosystems to a depth of 325 feet, the waters will submerge some 35 notable historic sites (some of which will be relocated). The 632 square miles of inundated terrain will include 13 cities, 140 towns, 1,352 villages, 657 factories, and 66,000 acres of cultivated land. Approximately 1.3 million people will be relocated to new towns now being constructed above the high water mark.

The Chinese government points to the benefits of the Three Gorges Dam, including its ability to control the area’s severe flooding, the huge and much needed hydroelectric potential, the opening of the upper Yangtze to 10,000 ton ships, and the irrigation value of the impounded water.

We disembarked from our ship for a tour of the Three Gorges Project. A small bus brought us to an elevated and very elaborate visitors center where we had spectacular views of the dam project. The dam is still under construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

After touring the dam site, we returned to our ship to pass through the five stage locks and cruise upstream through the 40 mile long Xiling Gorge, the longest of the Three Gorges. The water here will rise over six hundred feet after the dam is completed. Orange groves cover the banks of the gorge today but they will soon be under water.

Our next post will cover cruising through the Xiling Gorge.