China Begins Clean-up of Three Gorges Reservoir Site

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 20, 2002

China Begins Clean-up of Three Gorges Reservoir Site

With the demolition of a group of buildings in an ancient town Sunday afternoon, China began its clean-up of the planned Three Gorges reservoir bed to get it ready for storing water in 2003.

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Building Blasted to Make Way for Three Gorges Project

With the demolition of a group of buildings in an ancient town Sunday afternoon (Full Story), China began its clean-up of the planned Three Gorges reservoir bed to get it ready for storing water in 2003.

The clean-up is now an urgent task as the Three Gorges project, the largest of its kind in the world, on the Yangtze River is scheduled to begin power generation in 2003.

Beginning in 2003, the reservoir's water level will rise gradually, and in 2009 it will inundate 36,600 hectares of land and 115 towns, where there are 1,300 enterprises, 4,000 hospitals and clinics, 40,000 tombs, 100 bridges, 2.87 million tons of garbage, 15 million tons of discarded solid objects, and buildings with a total floor space of 29 million square meters.

The 600-km-long reservoir will have a surface area of 1,000 sq km. If the reservoir bed is not cleared up, a Chinese expert said, water in the reservoir would be polluted by the garbage and discarded objects from industrial enterprises and homes in the region; navigation and aquatic production would be affected by the building structures; and the reservoir area would become a huge " ecological bomb".

Building Blasted to Make Way for Three Gorges Project

Clean-up of the reservoir bottom will be a guarantee for sustained development. Only by protecting the ecological environment of the Three Gorges reservoir, can water resources there be fully used for a long period of time and the Three Gorges project give full play to its comprehensive functions, a water conservation expert said.

The environment of the Three Gorges project is of vital importance to development in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and to economic growth of northern China, as water in the Yangtze River will be diverted to arid north when a water diversion project completes, he added.

Treasured Stone Inscriptions Being Removed from Three Gorges Cliffs

Relocation of stone inscriptions at Qutangxia Gorge will better preserve the stone inscriptions and retain the cultural feature of the spectacular gorge scene, which has inspired many Chinese poets, said Wang Wei, tourism director of Fengjie County.

While the ancient inscriptions are being removed from the cliffs, archaeologists are busy excavating ancient city sites dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) in a nearby tourist attraction of Beidicheng on the Yangtze River.

The relocation and excavation are both part of the Chinese government's ambitious plan to protect 1,087 cultural relics from being inundated in the construction of the Three Gorges project, the world's largest water control project.

Many experts have been invited to re-design the Three Gorges region so as to best protect the treasured cultural heritages in the area.

"We can not afford to lose the heritages that constitute an important part of Chinese culture and history," said Lu Huijie, the manager in charge of the project to relocate and protect the stone inscriptions.

Why Fengjie Was Chosen as First Site for Demolition

Explaining why Fengjie County was chosen as the first site for demolition, a local government official said Fengjie is the only ancient town of historical importance to be totally submerged in water in the Three Gorges reservoir area.

Fengjie's Places of historical interest include Baidicheng a town of red-walled, green-tiled ancient buildings built on a limestone rock hill 160 meters above the river water level, and the tomb of Liu Bei, the king of Shu who retreated to Baidicheng and subsequently died of depression and sorrow during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280).

In addition, the Fengjie Thermal Power Plant, the office building of Yong'an Township were among the highest buildings in the county, and they had immediate and vital influence on the life of local residents. Their demolition means the start of large-scale relocation of the county, with the government taking the lead.

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Treasured Stone Inscriptions Being Removed from Three Gorges Cliffs

Why Fengjie Was Chosen as First Site for Demolition

Plant Buildings Demolished in Planned Three Gorges Reservoir Area

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