Yangtze River

Our first stop the next morning was at Sandouping Village. I assume there was, in fact, a village but the 3 Gorges Dam (still under construction) overshadows everything nearby. The dam will contain 17 new 1,000 Megawatt generating stations and is a huge step toward China's goal of energy self sufficiency. It will also raise the level of the Yangtze behind the dam displacing millions of Chinese, their villages, homes, farms ... in short disrupting everything they know. 1/3 of the cost of the dam will be to relocate those being displaced.

This was the most positive demonstration of the power of a dictatorial government. China needs to be energy self-sufficient. China has this huge river capable of generating fantastic amounts of electrical power. The government decides to build the dam. And it happens. No meaningful protests, no pickets, no lawsuits, no ACLU or Greenpeace intervention. I am not taking a position on whether this is good or bad. But most of the free democratic nations of the world could not pull off a similar feat. Imagine the US constructing a dam that raised the level of Lake Michigan 90 feet and displacing a million people in Chicago. Wouldn't happen. Or constructing a dam from rim to rim across the Grand Canyon. Wouldn't happen. Yet another cultural whack on the side of the head.

The trip up-river presented lots of pretty scenery. It wound through industrial cities, past coal mines, and under huge bridges. Pretty interesting! It's also a working river. You can see another large ship further up the river in the photo, one of hundreds we passed. It was fascinating ... along the entire river we saw essentially NO BIRD LIFE. No gulls, eagles, hawks, ducks, swans ... no birds of any kind. I don't know what this means. We joked that the Chinese had eaten them all. Whatever it means, I found it interesting.

All along the river we saw monuments like the one pictured. Each stone slab was about 6 feet square with a number (height in meters) painted on it. When the 3 Gorges Dam is complete, the water will reach the top square (176 meters). These were a constant reminder to all who use the river or call its banks home ... "The End Is Near!"

Not all the vessels on the river were huge. This small boat was typical of many we saw.

At one point during the trip I asked for and was given a tour of the engine room of the boat, seen here. I also asked for a tour of the rest of the working sections of the boat (kitchen, laundry and so on) which request was NOT granted. I suspect the operators didn't want me to see a full accounting of where our dinner may have come from.

Near the end of the boat trip, we left the ship for an excursion up small tributary gorges: the Dragon Gate Gorge; the Misty Gorge; and the Emerald Gorge. We were in small boats like the first photo to the left. Remember, everything you see in the next 4 photos will be flooded as the dam completes.

This excursion, like all others, lead to a gift shop. In this case, a flea market of sorts selling Chinese souvenirs, theoretically genuine artifacts, knock-offs and such. Vigorous bargaining was the rule but we had no common language. It turns out the electronic calculator was our "universal translator." The vendor would key in a price for something. We would look at it, grimace, and enter in a number 90% below the original figure. The vendor would grimace, shake their head and mutter on awhile. Finally he would enter a number that was 2 to 3 times our original counter offer. And we'd settle on something around 15% of the original price. Or sometimes not if we weren't willing to go high enough. Fun. Lively. Entertaining if only briefly.

This little excursion was a tourist trap of sorts. In a managed experience worthy of Disney, we encountered people along the river. Many of them sang to us (some through megaphones) or exhibited "everyday life." With 1.3 Billion people, it is possible to do animatronics without the tronics.

All in all, the excursion was pretty, pastoral, and pleasantly warm and rain-free. We did see a part of China far from the western eye. And it was insightful.

Our last excursion before leaving the boat forever was to the village of Shi Bao Zhai. The pagoda and temple here are historically significant. The government will build a water tight wall around the site to protect it from the rising waters. The pagoda was built to be free standing but leans slightly against the hill behind. The bottom photo gives the best perspective. I climbed the pagoda (because it was there) and can attest to the fact that the top level is about 6 feet square. If it weren't for the pollution, it would have commanded a fine view.

Our last excursion before leaving the boat forever was to the village of Shi Bao Zhai. The pagoda and temple here are historically significant. The government will build a water tight wall around the site to protect it from the rising waters. The pagoda was built to be free standing but leans slightly against the hill behind. The bottom photo gives the best perspective. I climbed the pagoda (because it was there) and can attest to the fact that the top level is about 6 feet square. If it weren't for the pollution, it would have commanded a fine view.

Our last excursion before leaving the boat forever was to the village of Shi Bao Zhai. The pagoda and temple here are historically significant. The government will build a water tight wall around the site to protect it from the rising waters. The pagoda was built to be free standing but leans slightly against the hill behind. The bottom photo gives the best perspective. I climbed the pagoda (because it was there) and can attest to the fact that the top level is about 6 feet square. If it weren't for the pollution, it would have commanded a fine view.