Two passenger ships passed through the huge, towering Three Gorges Dam ship lock on the Yangtze River Monday morning, signifying the accomplishment of a major goal of the world's largest water control project.

From Monday, the two-way five-step permanent ship lock will open for a one-year trial navigation period, said a source with the Ministry of Communications.

Addressing a official ceremony marking the launch of the trial navigation, Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan said: "the construction of the Three Gorges Project has made significant progress with the achievement of the water storage and navigation targets."

By June 10, the water level of the mammoth Three Gorges Reservoir had risen to the height of 135 meters with a total water storage of 12.3 billion cubic meters, paving the way for navigation and power generation plans.

Sources with the Three Gorges navigation bureau acknowledged that the once risky Three Gorges section of the Yangtze River was much easier to navigate thanks to the high water level. It would also allow much greater traffic volume.

"It's a life-long dream fulfilled," said a relocated resident named Wang Kaihuai. Wang, whose former shanty home had been inundated by the rising waters, returned to his native Three Gorges area to witness the great historical moment.

"Raging rapids and shoals in the Three Gorges area have swallowed and devoured many of my fellow folks, including one in my own family," Wang recalled with somewhat a sense of bitterness. But he added with assurance: "Now that the Three Gorges Project is built, we're sure to live a much better life in the future."

The water level will ultimately reach 175 meters by the year 2009, when the entire project is completed, thus further improving navigation on the mighty Yangtze, China's longest river.

Wang has witnessed only the beginning of the benefits brought about by the Three Gorges Project, located in and around Yichang city in central Hubei province.

The months ahead will see the project start to generate hydro-electric power, on a small scale in the first phase construction, to back up China's vigorous economic growth.

The total installed generating capacity of the Three Gorges Hydropower Station amounts to 18.2 million kilowatts, making it the largest of its kind worldwide.

A total of 26 hydropower-generating units will be installed consecutively, which together would produce 84.6 billion kwh of electricity annually. The first two units are expected to go into operation by the end of 2003.

The gigantic project is also expected to play a vital role in water supply and the control of floods that pose threats to adjacent and surrounding cities.

Having a designed water storage capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters, with 22.15 billion for flood control, the project enables it to reduce the flow of flood peaks by 27,000 to 33,000 cubic meters per second and to guarantee the safety of local residents and their property assets as well as modernization development in the Three Georges area and in China as a whole.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2003)