5. Dam Won't Affect Navigation on Yangtze River

The Yangtze River, the world's third longest, is one of China's leading transportation routes. One guarantee made by developers of the Three Gorges Project ensures smooth navigation at the construction site during the six-year second phase (1997-2003).

A water diversion channel opened formerly on October 6. During the next-phase construction through 2003, ships will use the channel to bypass the dam site or use temporary locks now being built on the north bank of the Yangtze.

Engineers said that ships can safely pass through the channel except for peak water flow seasons. When the water flows faster than 25,000 cubic meters per second, it could be difficult for large ships to use the channel. The maximum flow for smaller ships is between 10,000 and 15,000 cubic meters per second.

Temporary ship locks are being built to ensure safe passage during the flood season which normally begins in May.

The diversion channel will guarantee that passenger and cargo transport needs are met in the upper reaches of the Yangtze river during construction.

Permanent ship locks will be in operation after the year 2003.

6. Three Gorges Reservoir Inundation

The Three Gorges Reservoir will inundate 632 sq. km., the world's largest inundated area by a single project.

The normal water level of 175 meters will be achieved in the year 2003, with the reservoir covering 1,045 sq.km. and stretching some 663 km, an area capable of controlling floods expected to occur twice in one decade.

The resettlement effort and the area to be inundated are unprecedented in Chinese history, with inundation affecting 365 townships in 21 counties, cities or districts in Sichuan and Hubei provinces.

Some 844,000 people are scheduled for resettlement, with unforeseen factors most likely raising the figure to 1.2 million people.

The Three Gorges Reservoir will inundated 31,000 hectares of farmland, and will require the relocation of 1,599 industrial and mining enterprises, as well as power transmission and telecommunications facilities, harbors, small and medium-sized hydro-electric power plants, roads and pumping stations.

The new reservoir, typical of facilities in gorges, will not have a so-called "big-belly" section similar to other facilities built on lakes.

7. Charm of Three Gorges to Remain

The Three Gorges, one of the world's most famous scenic sites around Qutang, Wuxian and Xiling, features breathtaking scenery which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from at home and abroad each and every year.

The charming scenery will be left untouched following the damming of the mid-section of the Xiling Gorge.

The high-water mark once the dam is completed will stand at 82.8 meters, or four meters higher than before.

However, the rise in the water level will have little impact on scenery in the Three Gorges which sit at an elevation of some 1,000 meters above sea level. The charm of the famous landmark will remain unchanged the year 2009 when the high-water mark will rise by some 100 meters.

A spectacular waterfall formed by the steep incline of the Three Gorges dike will offer a new site expected to attract an incessant stream of tourists. Scenic landscapes, including Badong Shennong Stream, the Gezi River Stone Forest and the Shuangxi Karst Caves are either under construction or will be built in the near future.

8. Preliminary Success Scored in Three Gorges Resettlement Drive

Some 90,000 local residents are expected to move out of the reservoir area of the Three Gorges Project by the end of this year, leading to a favorable start of the massive resettlement drive.

The Three Gorges Project will relocate 1.2 million residents in the 1,084 sq km-reservoir area, since the reservoir is expected to inundate more than 630 sq km of land behind the Three Gorges Dam.

To this end, China will inject approximately 100 billion yuan into the relocation of the reservoir residents by the year 2009 when the whole project is completed.

"The State appropriations into the resettlement endeavor have been on a steady rise, from the 300 million yuan in 1993, to 2.8 billion yuan this year. And the sum will increase continuously in the future," according to an official with the Bureau of Resettlement and Development under the Three Gorges Project Construction Commission.

Along with the resettlement drive, the State also plans to invest more than 20 billion yuan on the upgrading of local infrastructure and construction of major industrial projects.

"In many areas surrounding the Three Gorges Project site, the annual state investment at present is equivalent to, or even exceeds the combined total in the past 40-plus years," said the resettlement official.

State preferential policies, on the other hand, enabled the Three Gorges Reservoir Area to open itself wider to the outside world and may have more far-reaching positive impact on its future development, added the official.

Over the past few years, the Three Gorges Reservoir Area already emerged as a hot destination for overseas investment. To date, over 470 foreign-funded ventures have landed in the city of Yichang, in the vicinity of the project, drawing a total of 1.5 billion US dollars in overseas funds.

"In spite of the preliminary success, even more difficulties are involved in the resettlement drive, but we are optimistic with its final success," said the official.