Three Gorges Dam

( chinatravel.com )

Updated: 2011-11-23

Brief story of the Three Gorges Project

Before Liberation, this area contained many dangerous shoals and reefs and was full of speedy riptides and backwashes, causing incidents from time to time. The locals used to say "It is easier to pass the gates of hell than to pass the Three Gorges".

After Liberation, the Chinese government embarked on program to control the Three Gorges and the waterway was been greatly improved by removing the reefs and directing the water, especially after the construction of the Gezhouba Dam hydro project. The dam raised the water level of the upper reaches by more than 20 meters. The water reached back for more than 100 kilometers and covered the dangerous shoal and reefs and the problems of sailing in the Three Gorges were completely solved. Lighthouses, beacons and navigational aids have been erected along the banks and ships can proceed without hindrance day and night.

The Chinese people have long been good at creating innovative structure. On December 14, 1994, the premier of the day (Li Peng) announced the commencement Yangtze Gorges Project. The Three Gorges Project is the biggest hydro junction project in the world that will benefit all of the Chinese nation.

Photo taken on Feb 5, 2006, right before the Spring Festival, showing a worker was building the dam.

On December 14, 1994, the world’s largest water-power engineering—Three Gorges Project officially commenced. It situated at Sandouping of Yichang city, Hubei province which is in the middle reach of Xiling Gorge. It is 38 kilometers away from the Gezhouba Dam hydro junction. The Three Gorges Project which would cost 95.46 billion yuan( according the price at the end of May, 1993) is composed of main building project and stream guidance project. The Dam belongs to concrete gravity dam with a length of 3,035 meters, a height of 185 meters and a normal impounded level of 175 meters. Its total volume and anti-flood volume stand 39.3 billion cubic meters and 22.15 billion cubic meters respectively, being able to resist the highly destructive flood. Two power plants there are equipped with 26 electricity generators that can produce 84.9 billion kilowatt-hours annually.

The world’s largest water-power engineering officially commenced on December 14, 1994. (photo from nipic.com)

The shipping capacity will increase from the recent 10 million tons to 50 million tons and the thousand-ton-level ship can get Chongqing directly. In the meantime, the transportation cost has decreased by 35 percent.

The two modern wonders--Three Gorges and Gezgouba Dam will become the new sites of Yangtze River in the near future, adding new flavor to the river. As a combination of natural beauty, historical relics and modern wonders, the Three Gorges will attract and fascinate tourists from all over the world. The Three Gorges stands at Zhongbao island of Sandouping of Yichang city, Hubei province. It is 38 kilometers away from the Gezhouba Dam hydro junction and the largest hydro junction project in the world.

At 2pm, May 20, 2006, the excited erectors on the top of the dam witness the historic moment of pouring the last cubic of concrete into the dam. Up till then, the largest-scale concrete dam of the world is ultimately established.

The shipping capacity will increase from the recent 10 million tons to 50 million tons(photo from nipic.com)

As a steel-concrete gravity dam, the Three Gorges used 16 million concrete and sand rock materials. If laid at one cubic meter level, the overall concrete can revolve around the earth for more than three circles.

The 185-meter-above-sea-level Three Gorge Dam is the core of Three Gorge hydro junction project and takes 3,080 days to complete. During the construction, the builders comprehensively adopt the state-of-art technique in the world and create a world record of pouring 20 thousand concrete in a single day at the peak time.

Up till now, 126 billion yuan have been invested into the Three Gorges Project. In the meantime, thanks to the installment of twenty six 700-thousand-kilowatt super electricity generators, 84.7 billion watt electricity can generated. The emergence of flat lake in the high gorge end the history of non-night navigation in Chuanjiang River and 10 thousand ton class sheet can go right through to Chongqing.

The project can now generate huge amount of electricity everyday.