A record 1.3 million visitors will have visited the mammoth dam
area of the Three Gorges Project on the middle reaches of the
Yangtze by the end of the year.
At 9:55 a.m. Saturday, the dam area notched up its 1 millionth
visitor for the year, according to Chen Menjiu, general manager of
the Yangtze River Three Gorges Tourism Company.
The increase in the number of tourists can be attributed to two
key milestones: completion of the gigantic dam in May, and the
raising of the water level from 135 meters to 156 meters last
Wednesday, according to Zhang Chao, deputy manager of the Yangtze
River Three Gorges Tourism Company.
1.16 million people had to be relocated when construction of the
203.9 billion yuan (US$25.5 billion) Three Gorges project began in
1993. The massive dam has a span of 2,309 meters and is 185 meters
high. There are 26 power generators on the two banks of the river,
and a five-tier, dual-track ship lock.
When completed in 2009, the reservoir will have a capacity of
39.3 billion cubic meters and produce 84.7 billion kw/h of
electricity annually.
Workers have completed the dam, installation of 14 generating
units on the northern bank and most of the ship lock system.
Thirteen of the 26 generators are already producing
electricity.
The installation of 12 more generating units on the southern
bank of the Yangtze is underway.
1.05 million tourists visited the dam last year.
(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2006)
