I started out the trip to Three Gorges to witness the beautiful scenery I am looking at now - mountains after mountains along the long stretch of Yangtze River, each having its own unique form, some depicting images of animals (elephant, snake), others of holy beings (buddha, goddess).
But what attracted me most is the history of the place. Inundation, caused by the river, had long been a major threat to the locals. In response to this, the government started the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in 1994. Together with the benefits brought by the project, including flood prevention, electricity generation, rise in tourism, come other undesirable outcomes. The river's water level rose so high that many villages located along the river bank were buried underwater - forever. The locals were forced to move out from their simple lifestyle, and all will never be the same again.
History is what distinguishes one place from another. I believe that it is the story of Yangtze River that would remain in me every time I think of Three Gorges.
Shibaozhai Pagoda (Upper left) is an old multi-storey wooden architectural structure built without the use of nails. Mountains of the shapes of scissors (Upper center), elephant (Lower left), buddha (Lower center), snake (Lower right) can be found while passing through the area.
Hanging coffins placed on cliffs were found in the Three Gorges region. Many speculations were made as to why the coffins were put as such. Some believe that the high levels represent the people's respect to their ancestors, while others say that this kind of burial ceremony protects their ancestors' body from animal attacks. It is still unknown today as to how such heavy coffins were placed atop.
On the Three Gorges Dam. I find the 5-stages ship lock very interesting. It raises or lowers the ship when travelling upstream from Yichang to Chongqing or downstream from Chongqing to Yichang. The ship enters the first stage, and when the gate behind it closes, the water level rises/lowers. Once the water level is the same as that of the next stage, then the gate in front of it opens for the ship to proceed to the next stage. The gate closes again, and the same process is repeated four times. The whole process may sound simple, but it takes approximately 5 hours to complete the whole process.
