The State Council has given the go-ahead for the Three Gorges Dam Project to begin its fourth stage, during which the water level will reach the maximum planned height of 175 meters, according to an August 29 Xinhua News Agency report. The fourth stage of the project will also include resettlement of residents, and will put into operation a number of reservoirs and flood control facilities.

Ships passing through the Kuimen section of the Qutang Gorge on the Yangtze River, August 23, 2008.

A hydrofoil passes a surveyor's marker indicating the planned 175-meter water level in the Wuxia Gorge on the Yangtze River, August 25, 2008.

A ship passing under the Kuimen Bridge on the Yangtze River, August 22, 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn August 29, 2008)