The Three Gorges Dam: Engineering, Displacement, and the Yangtze Cruise

The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River was completed in 2006 after 17 years of construction. It is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world by installed capacity at 22,500 megawatts, and the reservoir it created stretches 660km upstream to Chongqing. The construction flooded 1,000 towns and villages and required the relocation of 1.3 million people, one of the largest population displacements in human history.

The gorges themselves still exist. The water level rose by 80-100 metres, but the walls of Qutang, Wu, and Xiling gorges are 300-600 metres high; the scenery is still dramatic. What is gone is the old river landscape: the towns, temples, and cultural sites at river level that had been there for centuries. You are seeing the Three Gorges in a fundamentally changed form from what travellers saw before 2003.

The Dam at Sandouping

The dam is at Sandouping, 38km west of Yichang city. Admission to the scenic area costs CNY 130-175 depending on which viewing zones you access.

The Dam Crest Observation Deck is more comprehensible in person than any photograph conveys. The structure is 2,335 metres wide and 185 metres tall. Standing on the crest with the reservoir extending upstream and the power generation building below is a useful recalibration of what human engineering projects look like at scale.

The Five-Step Ship Lock is arguably the most impressive single element for a non-engineer visitor. The system raises vessels 113 metres from the downstream river level to the reservoir; each lock chamber is 280 metres long. Watching a large cargo vessel transit the full five stages, raised the equivalent of a 40-storey building by water pressure over 3-4 hours, has a particular appeal. The viewing platform above the locks gives a clear sight line along the entire system.

The Yichang Three Gorges Museum (free entry, in the city centre) is the best place to understand the pre-dam Yangtze: photographs from before the flooding, models of submerged towns, maps of the resettlement areas. Do this before visiting the dam site.

The Yangtze River Cruise

The classic way to experience the Three Gorges is a river cruise from Chongqing downstream to Yichang over 4-5 days. The gorges section (Fengjie to Yichang, approximately 200km) is the visual centre of the journey. Most cruises include the Shennong Stream tributary excursion, where traditional oar-powered small boats work against the current in the narrow Shennong valley.

International tourist cruises (Victoria Cruises, Century Cruises, President Cruises) run CNY 3,000-8,000 per person for the 4-day route in a standard cabin; premier cabins with balconies reach CNY 8,000-15,000. Chinese domestic ferries are substantially cheaper (CNY 800-2,000 for a bunk cabin) with correspondingly basic services.

The gorge walls are 300-600 metres of sheer limestone rising immediately from the water. Morning light hits the east-facing walls most dramatically. Autumn (September-November) and spring (March-May) give the clearest weather.

Chongqing

Most cruises depart downstream from Chongqing, which is worth 1-2 nights in its own right. A massive city of 30 million on the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, famous for its spicy hotpot cuisine (a distinct local variant from Sichuan hotpot), its hillside topography served by funiculars, and the historic Ciqikou old town district. High-speed rail connects Chongqing to Chengdu (1 hour), Beijing (8-11 hours), and Shanghai (12 hours).

Practical Notes

Visitor facilities at the dam site are primarily in Chinese with limited English signage. Independent international visitors should consider hiring a guide through their Yichang hotel (CNY 300-500/day). Photography is permitted in standard visitor areas; follow signage for restricted zones.