Three Gorges

You may not know about the Three Gorges area in China, but you may probably have used Chinese currency. At the back of the paper 10 yuan note, you can find a picture that shows a part of the most beautiful scenery along the Three Gorges area in Yangtze River.

The Three Gorges area is located along the Yangtze River between Chongqing City and Yichang City in Hubei province, with total length of 193 km. While Yangtze River is regarded as the "Golden Waterway" since ancient times, the Three Gorges area offers you the most impressive landscape along the valleys, gorges and cliffs. Moreover, this area is traditionally important in Chinese history and culture.

The falling tributaries of Yangtze River keep striking the surrounding Mountains for centuries and cut them through, thus form the famous Three Gorges, namely the Qutang, the Wuxia and the Xiling gorges (in Hubei Province).

Before the Three Gorges Dam project, this area is most renowned for its fantastic natural scenery. For example, around the Qutang Gorge, you can expect the most precipitous but magnificent canyon scenery, while in the Xiling Gorge, the water rushes torrentially among a number of shoals. As to Wuxia Gorge, the cliffs are the loftiest and sheerest, thus makes the valleys seem deeper and sterner. You will be amazed at the power of nature along the cruise.

However, the Three Gorges Dam project is changing the scenery of the region dramatically. The Three Gorges Dam is constructed in the middle of the Xiling Gorge in the Yiling District of Yichang City, Hubei province. The world's largest hydroelectric power station is said to produce huge amount of electricity and reduce the potential of floods in downstream region.

However, with the reservoir completed in 2006, water level in the upstream has raised dramatically, flooding much original natural scenery and cultural sites. What's more, the flood causes significant changes to geographical features along the river and the habitats for various kinds of species. Therefore the Dam has always been a controversial discussion around the world.

If you are interested in the construction of the Dam and the culture of nearby region, you can pay a further visit to the Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing city, in which specific information are shown, and great number of cultural relics are displayed.