Three Gorges: Photos 21 to 42

We had a long weekend at the beginning of May for Labor Day. We decided to go on another “family vacation” to get out of Wuhan and see another part of China. The final verdict was to go check out the Three Gorges Dam. For those of you unfamiliar with the Three Gorges project, I’ll give a brief introduction. The dam itself is one of China’s most expansive (and expensive) undertakings. Located in YiChang, along the Yangtze River, the dam is set to become the world’s largest hydro-electric power station. Construction began in December of 1994 and it is not expected to be fully operational until 2011. While there are many benefits to the dam, such as flood control and clean power, it has also been a controversial project because the flooding of the reservoir has already displaced approximately 1.4 million people and submerged many cultural relics. The water won’t reach its maximum level of 175m until the end of 2008.

So, there is your background information. Back to our trip. We booked a tour with the help of our Chinese friend, Maggie, and her friend (who just happens to be a tourist agent). In China, it is difficult to

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