The Three Gorges Dam Reproduced with the Permission of Artist: Lin Jun Energy, the Environment, and the New Emperors by Patience Berkman

THE THREE GORGES DAM REPRODUCED WITH THE PERMISSION OF ARTIST: LIN JUN ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE NEW EMPERORS BY PATIENCE BERKMAN

“To a builder of concrete dams, a river squeezing its way HE THREE GORGES DAM PROJECT under con- through a narrow valley presents a heaven-sent opportunity struction on the Yangtze River 1 in the People’s Republic of for spectacular results at relatively low cost.” China offers geographers and educaT tors a topic of global significance, a wealth of accessible resources and plentiful opportunities for developing geographic literacy. The Three Gorges Dam will be the largest dam in the world, eight times the size of the Aswan Dam.2 The dam will create a reservoir 370 miles in length, displace upwards of 1.3 million people

ABOVE: Contemporary graphic of the Three Gorges PHOTOGRAPH BY EDITH BOYDEN region by Lin Jun, award winning artist born in 1921 WATER LEVELS BEHIND THE DAM WILL RISE in Shanxi province. Note the small boat in the SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE NARROW GORGES. channel and the house to the right.

27 IF THE YANGZTE RIVER WERE SUPERIMPOSED ON THE UNITED STATES, provide at least ten percent of the electric- IT WOULD ORIGINATE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS WEST OF DENVER, ity in China, most of which will be used in Sichuan and Hubei Provinces.9 GRADUALLY TURN SOUTHEAST TO DALLAS, THEN WORK ITS WAY BACK Proponents claim that the dam’s gen- NORTH TO FLOW INTO THE ATLANTIC NEAR NEW YORK CITY. eration of electricity by hy dropower will significantly reduce China’s output of dangerous atmo spheric pollutants. If the from their cities, villages and farms, sub- nate in the Rocky Mountains west of Den- dam is not built or if the emission problem merge forever hundreds of priceless ver, gradually turn southeast to Dallas, then is not addressed in some other way and archaeological sites, and cost from 17.5 to work its way back north to flow into the China continues to use coal for seventy- 50 billion dollars.3 Why has the Chinese Atlantic near New York City.5 Its 4,000 five percent of its energy needs, the green- gov ernment undertaken this immense mile length divides China into a northern house effect could be catastrophic.10 With infrastructure project? What are the possi- wheat growing region and a southern up per respiratory problems identified as ble benefits? What are the risks? region dominated by rice cultivation. The the greatest single cause of death in China, This article gives an overview of the Great River features prominently in poetry, any move to reduce airborne pollutants history, environmental implications, and folklore, and legends, and unforgettably in needs to be given serious attention. controversies surrounding this huge pub- the visual arts. lic works project, and provides samples of The Yangtze was of strategic impor- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT student work, lesson plans, and a compre- tance during World War II, when OF THE INTERIOR hensive re source list. Educators should Chongqing became the inland capital of As the major waterway in the country, the note that lessons include directions for an the Nationalists after the Japanese invaded Yangtze transports seventy-eight percent environmental impact panel, a major map China in 1937. The Japanese were never of China’s riverborne freight.11 However, project, a student debate, a time line, able to penetrate and reach Chongqing current navigational difficulties in the poster projects, and activities related to lit- because the geographic barrier created by Three Gorges region make it impossible erature about the Yangtze. the narrow gorges formed a natural defen- for the river to meet the growing trans- sive line. In a 1995 Foreign Affairs article, portation demands of the burgeoning YANGTZE, YANGTZE Audrey Topping succinctly described the economy. Westerners hear of dramatic Chang Jiang—“Long River,” Da Jiang— Yangtze’s general impact. “No river has changes and eco nomic growth rates of “Great River,” Jiang—“The River.” The touched so many lives. More than 380 mil- eleven percent per year in China, not real- Yangtze, now often romanized as Yangzi, lion people, a third of China’s population, izing, perhaps, that such news comes is central to the cultural and historical iden- live along its banks, where half of China’s largely from regions near the coast. In tity of the Chinese people. The Great River food is grown.”6 It is a dragon, it is the contrast, there is less modernization or is the third longest in the world, after the heartbeat. And it is vulnerable. infrastructure in the remote region where Amazon and the Nile. Originating in the dam will be located. There are limited rugged mountains near the Tibetan border, THE NEED FOR CLEAN ENERGY markets for goods produced in this area, the Yangtze flows southeast until it reaches China desperately needs a clean, renew- and road transportation through mountain- Shigu in the province of Yunnan, where able source of energy to achieve its goal ous regions is difficult and dan gerous. the river makes a dra matic hairpin turn to of nationwide modernization. Since the With limited highway connections, it the north as it ricochets off the limestone breakup of the former Soviet Union, is exceedingly difficult for truck ers to get cliffs of Yun Ling (Cloud Mountain). China has moved into second place through, making the river of singular eco- One author muses that Cloud Moun- behind the United States in generating nomic importance as a pathway for the tain just might be the most important carbon dioxide emissions that contribute movement of goods.12 In fact, the only mountain in the world.4 It forms a barrier to global warming.7 With the country practical long range transport is along the which forces the swift currents of the depending largely on coal to drive its eco- river’s course. Hence the appeal of mak- Yangtze sharply northward, back towards nomic climb, air quality over urban and ing a shipping channel that is deep enough central China and the Three Gorges area some regions of rural China is abysmal, and wide enough to enable 10,000-ton which lies east of Chongqing. If this moun- with high emissions of sulfur and carbon- ships to reach the port of Chongqing 1,500 tain were not in this precise location, the based gases and complaints of acid rain miles from the Pacific coast.13 Chongqing Great River might continue to wend south- from as far away as Korea and Japan. will lie at the western end of a reservoir ward, losing itself in regions south of the There is limited electrical power in the the length of Lake Superior. Chinese border. Without the Yangtze’s area of the proposed dam, with frequent Supporters of the project claim it is powerful presence coursing through China brownouts and blackouts.8 imperative that the Yangtze be made navi- from west to east, China’s history, culture, Supporters of the dam predict hydro- gable for larger ships and open to large and economy might have taken a dramati- electric output equal to eighteen nuclear scale commerce. If the dam is completed cally different turn. power plants once the dam is operational. successfully as planned, huge tankers, If the Yangzte River were superim- The Chinese government claims energy trading ships, and ocean-going tourist ves- posed on the United States, it would origi- produced by the dam’s huge turbines will sels will glide inland where once trackers

28 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 3, Number 1 Spring 1998 pulled their narrow junks inch by inch on a less ambitious project, against the current. The potential bene fits the Gezhouba Dam, was of this economic superhighway are tanta- started in the 1970s as a trial lizing. “. . . The dam would increase run, or pilot, for the Three capacity for shipping fivefold and Gorges project. The Gezhou- decrease shipping costs by about thirty- ba dam lies about fifteen five percent.”14 miles east of the new dam site. It is a low dam, 150 feet FLOOD CONTROL in height, causing minimal One of the primary purposes of the dam is change in the water level. to control the disastrous flooding which Though not large enough to has plagued the population living along provide flood protection, it the river’s banks. Devastating floods have has been very successful at been documented since the Han dynasty. producing hydroelectric Some towns are situated lower than the power. In fact, profits from river, protected by dikes which, when the Gezhouba Hydroelectric breached, permit the river to inundate the Power Station will help fund surrounding countryside with ferocious construction on the Three speed. There have been over 300,000 Gorges Dam. lives lost to Yangtze floods in this centu- Deng Xiaoping contin- ry. A 1991 flood left thousands dead and ued to support the project in millions homeless, damaging close to the 1980s, and Chinese Pre- thirty-five million acres of valuable agri- mier Li Peng, a hydrologist, cultural land. With about one quarter of has been pushing the project the world’s population and a narrow agri- for years. During the relative cultural base (only about seven percent of stability of the 1980s, the PHOTOGRAPH BY EDITH BOYDEN the land in China is arable), even tempo- Yangtze River Planning GEZHOUBA DAM ON THE YANGTZE RIVER. rary loss of arable acreage is significant. Commission began feasibili- SEPTEMBER, 1993. Repairs in the wake of such floods add to ty studies to consider how their cost. Supporters of the dam promise large a dam would be neces- flood control and as a fringe benefit, sary to fulfill the governmental objectives and spent ten months in prison, six of these increased water for irrigation. of energy production, economic de - months in solitary confinement. Dai Qing velopment, and flood control. asserts the true reason for her arrest was HISTORY her writing on the dam project.18 It is interesting that the idea for a colossal POLITICAL CONTROVERSY Chinese scientists, engineers, and dam on the Yangtze has been under con- During the same decade, opponents of the politicians opposed to the project claim sideration since the early years of the Chi- dam became more outspoken. Critics of they have been silenced and systematical- nese republic. Sun Yat-sen first proposed the big dam still contend that a series ly excluded from the planning process a similar dam project in 1919 as part of a of small dams on the Yangtze and its trib- from the start. They claim that the pro gram to industrialize China. American utaries would be more environmentally officials who staff the planning office engineers conducted surveys dur ing the sound and less expensive than one large “. . . stand to profit monetarily and to 1920s, doing preliminary feasibility stud- dam. They decry the reckless exploitation cement their power base by building the ies.15 During the 1950s some of the worst of nature which characterizes the Chinese biggest dam project ever.”19 Also, in an rapids were blasted away. Chairman Mao government’s attitude towards develop- angry look backward, they expose the himself wrote a poem in 1956 which ment. They are outraged at plans to set up twenty-year news blackout which covered makes direct reference to the dam in the huge illuminated billboards in Xiling up the disastrous collapse in 1975 of two following excerpt: Gorge “. . . to advertise China’s growing “iron dams” which the Chinese govern- Walls of stone will stand upstream to alcoholic beverage industry. . . .”17 ment had declared indestructible.20 Critics the west In the spring of 1989, Dai Qing, an point to cover-ups of unfavorable data To hold back Wushan’s clouds and author and investigative journalist with a relating to Three Gorges planning and rain degree in engineering and a lot of courage, construction as well. Till a smooth lake rises in the narrow published Yangtze! Yangtze! This collec- To centralize political control over gorges. . . .16 tion of articles expressed the views of forty the dam region, the National People’s In 1958, Mao formally proposed the scientists, economists and journalists with Congress has removed Chongqing and massive dam, but political strife related to deep concerns about the Three Gorges pro- surrounding territory from Sichuan the Great Leap Forward made planning ject. In July 1989, after the Tiananmen Province and created a new municipality and construction impossible. Construction Square incident, Dai Qing was arrested which will be directly accountable to

29 become the largest in land port in the world. The city is already experiencing a building boom. Old neighbor- hoods with narrow winding streets and pagoda roofs have been replaced by rec- tangular apartment blocks with colorful awnings placed well above the new water line. The project has its supporters. According to Cheng Daan, a construction official, “The building of the Three Gorges will reinvigorate the whole of China. After com- pletion of the Three Gorges, the Yangtze will be come a

PHOTOGRAPH BY EDITH BOYDEN golden waterway.”26 This mother of all dams VIEW FROM THE YANGTZE LOOKING NORTH AT THE CITY OF FENGJIE WHICH will take seventeen years to WILL BE SUBMERGED BY THE HUGE RESERVOIR. build, and it will be costly! Without significant outside Beijing. The newly formed municipality is Need for clean energy? Undeniable. investment, the project is beyond the reach nearly the size of Austria and has 30.2 Need for economic development? of the Chinese government. After scruti- million people living within its bound- Absolutely clear. Flood Danger? A contin- nizing a detailed feasibility study, the aries.21 This change in administra tive uing threat, especially with in creased glob- World Bank has refused to fund it. status will streamline the decision al warming and deforestation upstream. The U.S. Import/Export Bank has turned making process, a desirable out come for Risk factor of the project? High. Environ- down financial guarantees to U.S. corpora- dam proponents. mental Impact? Lit erally incalculable. tions hungering for a piece of the action. Clearly a volatile political standoff Dozens of firms from many countries— with high stakes has developed, but the ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN Caterpillar, General Electric, Mitsubishi, controversy is not officially acknowl- ATROCITY? THE “DOWNSIDE” Toshiba—are bidding on contracts worth edged by the Chinese government, and billions of dollars as they compete to build the playing field is not level. In 1992, the “From the bottom of my heart, I various components of the dam.27 Almost communist leaders “rammed” the project don’t want to move, but I have no way all the hydropower equipment will be for- through the National People’s Congress,22 to stay. . . .” 24 eign made, including all twenty-six of the and Li Peng proudly presided over the The economic promise of the dam turbines. One sure indica tion that the price first pouring of concrete for the dam in whispers incessantly, but the environmen- tag will be higher than anticipated is that December, 1994. With the diversion of tal and human costs are incalculable. Even certain costs have not yet been factored in. the Yangtze channel in early November Lu Youmei, head of the Three Gorges Pro- “Not yet estimated . . . are the costs of of 1997, the government attained the ject Development Corporation, admits to re building the Nanjing and Wuhan bridges “. . . ‘double happiness’ of damming the three “big difficulties” facing the project: a that were built in the 1950s for passage of river and recovering Hong Kong in the shortage of funds, ecological damage, and 5,000-ton ships. . . ,”28 not for the 10,000 same year.”23 forced resettlement.25 foot tankers of the future. Some 50,000 spectators joined Presi- Perhaps the only thing that could stop dent Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng on MEGA PROJECT FOR MEGA BUCKS the dam is a total breakdown in financing. November 8, 1997 to witness the blocking Structural and technological demands of The dam was approved in the early 1990s of the Yangtze with a cofferdam. Some the dam are unprecedented in their size and in the context of a booming economy. In 400 trucks dumped large boulders and scope. The dam will be built inside Xiling, the current context of economic crisis earth in order to close the narrow gap the first of the Three Gorges. It will be 1.3 in Asia, investors are left wondering if and turn the flow of the river into a diver- miles across and will have twenty-six tur- China will be next. Coupled with South sion channel that had been dug over the bines and five locks, each sixty-five feet Korea’s and Indonesia’s difficulties, the previous two years. With this work done, high. The dam and huge reservoir will fact that Malaysia has cancelled, or “post- the difficult second phase that will lead to irreparably alter the magnificent landscape poned” its largest infrastructure project, the raising of the water level and power of the Three Gorges region. Chongqing will the Bakun Dam, is surely sending shivers generation begins. be the western terminus and is projected to down some spines.

30 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 3, Number 1 Spring 1998 . . . CREATING THE LARGEST RESERVOIR IN THE WORLD, THE PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL ATROCITY? The vast reservoir may have an impact on WILL SUBMERGE 13 CITIES, 140 TOWNS, 955 BUSINESS the climate and temperature of the region, ENTERPRISES, 1,352 VILLAGES, AND 115,000 ACRES OF and hence on the flora and fauna. Tanger- ines, a major cash crop which is altitude PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND. specific, may not survive a move to higher ground.29 Mulberry tree plantations which nurture the valuable silk worm will parasitic flatworm called schistosomiasis the Ming dynasty. . . . I don’t know when be submerged. A delicate maidenhair flourishes in still waters and already we’ll have to move. Or even where we’ll fern, used for medicinal purposes, is also infects residents in the area with tissue be moved. You have to take what the endangered. There are therefore huge damage and loss of blood. It may pose a state gives you. There is no bargaining.”38 agricul tural questions, with effects on more serious health threat once the flow Most rural farmers, already poor, plant life unknown. of the Yangtze is slowed in the reservoir will be moved back and up the banks of Animals will be heavily impacted. region. the river where there are no roads or ter- Species such as the Chinese alligator, the The loss of historical and cultural races. In one town, residents will be cloud leopard, and the Yangtze River sites can be seen on the accompa nying moved to inferior land where the annual sturgeon most probably would not sur- map. With the water level scheduled to per capita in come is significantly lower. vive.30 The river also provides habitat for rise between the years 2003 and 2009, Many will be moved to crowded areas the Siberian white crane, which might be there is very little time to study the many where they are not welcome.39 The gov- eliminated from the area. Most endan- sites, and the limited budget will not ernment fears a backlash from those who gered is the unique Chinese river dolphin, begin to cover comprehensive research. will be forcibly resettled, but the resettle- of which less than 300 remain. This Opponents assert the dam would be ment process continues, implemented by unique species is “. . . already threatened vulnerable to sabotage. Engi neers dis- local officials with limited funds. by ships’ propellers, long fishing lines, agree about what would happen with a For the leaders of China, the dam, as and explosives used for illegal fishing.”31 major earthquake, or if the dam becomes the world’s biggest engineering project, Silting and pollution provide dire a military target, but clearly the results symbolizes power and accomplishment, a threats. Sedimentation build-up above the could be devas tating. Some seismologists crown for the heads of the new emperors. dam is a given. The Yangtze already car- claim that the reservoir “. . . will be over For the entrepreneur, financial opportuni- ries over 680 million tons of soil, silt and an ac tive fault line and the weight of the ty beckons. For the farmers, who com- sand to the sea, over 1,000 times the water could trigger an earthquake that prise half the people slated to be moved, amount carried by the Mississippi.32 could demolish the dam. . . ,” leading to the per sonal and financial losses are ago- Costly removal of sedi mentation is highly disaster for cities downriver.35 nizing and irreplacable. For the environ - likely, but the success of this procedure is ment, haunting questions remain. n uncertain.33 Increased deforestation once RESETTLEMENT the resettled farmers move further up the The most wrenching issue is the forced river’s banks to clear land for their new relocation of 1.3 million people, about farms exemplifies a hidden envi ronmental eighty percent of whom live in the coun- cost. If such deforestation leads to tryside. In raising the water level 574 feet increased erosion and the unexpectedly between the cities of Wuhan and rapid build-up of sedimentation in the Chongqing, creating the largest reservoir new reservoir, the cost of sediment con- in the world, the project will submerge 13 trol will escalate even further. cities, 140 towns, 955 business enterpris- The relatively still waters of the es, 1,352 villages, and 115,000 acres of reservoir may create a pollution problem prime agricultural land.36 Dachang, a of immense proportions. Industrial and town built during the Ming dynasty, will human waste, plastic, petrochemicals, disappear completely.37 In the larger even discarded furniture, which have cities, local governments are al ready con- flowed out to Shanghai and the East structing replacement buildings on high China Sea, will accumulate with the ground, and there is fierce competition for decrease in water flow. Since the river is the new units. the source of drinking water for the cities The plight of city dwellers displaced along its banks, sanitation and health con- by the project is actually less traumatic ditions might worsen. No funds have been than the situation facing people in the set aside for water treatment.34 A less countryside. Zhang Yonglin, a prosperous obvious but insidious threat could devel- farmer, is among those who will be reset- The water level will rise by 574 feet in the op with the increased amount of standing tled. “It’s a pity so much fertile land must Three Gorges region. water. A small snail which produces a be lost. . . . My family has been here since Graphic by Robert Murrell, Newton Country Day School, Newton, MA.

31 THE THREE GORGES LESSON PLANS

INTRODUCTION TO LESSON PLANS Local Government Official. This local official, possibly a The topic brims with opportunities for research and analysis. The mayor, has the responsibility for implementing the orders of following lessons could be integrated into such courses as World the central government to resettle urban and rural inhabi- History, Asian History and Culture, World or Regional Geogra- tants of regions that will be submerged. He/she is caught phy, Twentieth-Century History, International Relations, Envi- between orders from above, and loyalty and affection for ronmental Science, Economics. Educators familiar with the people in his district, and his budget is limited. National Geography Standards will find connections to almost Archaeologist/Historian. Deeply concerned about the losses every standard. Sources are plentiful, as can be seen from the of historic sites, the archaeological team has been frustrated lengthy resource list. by lack of funds and the rapidly approaching deadline when the waters will begin to rise. THE LESSON PLANS Local Farmer to be Resettled. As a prosperous farmer whose 1. Debate Project 4. Time Line family has tilled this land since the Ming dynasty, Mr. Li 2. Environmental Impact Panel 5. Poster Project does not know when or where he will have to move. He is 3. Big Map 6. Literature concerned that he will receive inferior land and decreased income. His wife and three school-age children are also DEBATE! concerned. THE PROPOSITION: “Construction on the Three Gorges Dam Environmentalist. Dr. Lam works at a university in the project should be stopped immediately.” Department of Environmental Science. He is deeply con- Since 1993, high school students in my World History course at cerned about the impact of the dam on various ecosystems, Newton Country Day School have participated annually in a and fears human meddling with the grandiose force of the spirited debate on the pros and cons of the Three Gorges Project. Yangtze River. The Dam Project has stimulated serious research resulting in Local Middle School Teacher. Ms. Wang is a dedicated deepened understanding of energy needs, environmental impact, teacher employed by her city’s government. Though she is the complex role of politics, and urban/rural and coastal/inland nostalgic about leaving her home, she is eagerly anticipating distinctions within the People’s Republic. Students are required a move to the top of the river’s bank where she, her hus- to write a carefully researched position paper and prepare band, and child will receive improved housing, with elec- rebuttals in advance of the structured oral debate. tricity and indoor plumbing. The Debate Project is recommended for high school through college level students. Allow one week for research, planning THE BIG MAP PROJECT and oral debate; allow two weeks if a position paper is required. Appreciation for the geographic complexities of the Yangtze River region will be enhanced by the “Big Map” Project. Hands- ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PANEL on geography forms the basis for critical thinking about This project involves research and the preparation of position geographic relationships. If done in detail, the map could be used papers. It culminates in a panel presentation in which participants as visual backdrop for a debate or an environmental impact pre- deliver their speeches as they role play certain identities, outlined sentation, or it could stand on its own. below. This is a less threatening format than the debate and In making the map, it is key to use only a simple outline allows for more focused research by participants, since they will map for students to project and draw, for they have the fun and be looking into one or another perspective. This activity is appro- stimulation of deciding which elements to include to enhance priate for middle school through college level. Allow one to two their own Big Map. weeks for research and writing, depending on accessibility of This activity is appropriate for learners in upper elementary resources and depth desired. grades through high school. Tracing the whole outline with physi- Special thanks to Deirdre Chetham, Executive Director of the Fairbank cal features should take no more than twenty to thirty minutes. Center for East Asian Research at Harvard University, for her Students can then roll the map up to take home for further work. assistance in preparing these identities. OBJECTIVES IDENTITIES Students will: Central Government Official. This official would be a strong 1. develop their own large map supporter of the views of Li Peng, second primary leader of 2. portray relevant geographic information on this map China and a hydrologist who strongly favors the building 3. see relationships between human and natural environments of the dam. He/she would be working closely with the 4. gain appreciation of planning and cooperative learning Three Gorges Project Development Corp., which is in 5. apply critical thinking skills charge of building the dam.

32 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 3, Number 1 Spring 1998 Map by Stacy Claxton, 9th Grade, Newton Country Day School, Newton, MA.

MATERIALS piece of cardboard or foamcore board suspended vertically 1. overhead projector against a hard surface. 2. transparency with a simple outline map of China and its rivers n Using the overhead projector, focus the transparency on the 3. pencil and permanent, thick markers butcher paper, adjusting the projector until the map fills the 4. a large piece of butcher paper* taped to a smooth part of the entire space. Tape the transparency to the surface of the wall. projector and tape the projector stand to the floor. It is A good size is 3’ by 4’. The larger the map, the more essential not to move this arrangement once the students engaging it is for students. begin to trace the image onto the butcher paper because it is *or four pieces of chart paper taped together on the back very hard to reposition the image on the wall.

1. PROCEDURES FOR DRAFTING A BIG MAP C. STUDENTS TRACE THE BIG MAP ONTO PAPER OR BOARD USING PERMANENT MARKERS A. PREPARE A TRANSPARENCY FOR THE OVERHEAD PROJECTOR n While class completes an assignment using 8 1/2” by 11” n Choose an outline map of any size which shows natural fea- copies of the map, call two students at a time to begin trac- tures, including the Yangtze River, and political boundaries ing the outline map in pencil. if you wish. There should be no writing on the map, as the students will locate and name places themselves.40 2. DEVELOPING THE MAP n If you cannot find an outline map, trace one from an atlas. n Make an overhead transparency from your outline map. Students can embellish a physical map with information relating to the Three Gorges Dam Project. Individuals can add graphs, draw- B. BEFORE STUDENTS ARRIVE IN CLASS ings, and even poems and quotations to the periphery of the map. n Tape a large piece of butcher paper as smoothly as possible Special thanks to Anne S. Watt of The New England China Network for onto a smooth wall (wrinkles will result in inaccuracies providing instructions for the Big Map Project. right from the beginning). Alternatively, use a large flat

33 Madeleine Lynn book, which offers accounts of the Yangtze through the centuries. (See resource list.) The Chinese embassy also provides a comprehensive chronology at their web- site: http://www.china-embassy.org.

POSTER PROJECT A sample of a student Pro-Con poster appears as part of this article. There are many possibili- ties for posters, ranging from explanatory visual posters relating to the construction, to posters dealing with environmental impact, resettlement, political opposition, economic benefits. Charts detailing important statistics would aid understanding.

LITERATURE Poster drawn by Carolyn Phelan in 1993, drawn in miniature by Erin Claxton, both of Newton Country Day School. Note the low cost figure. The Yangtze River: The Wildest, Wickedest River on Earth, edited by Madeleine Lynn and recently published, provides students of litera- TIME LINE ture with over fifty entries. Mao’s poem “Swimming” could be a There are sufficient resources for students to create a comprehen- stimulus for research on the history of the dam or could lead stu- sive time line of events related to the planning, construction, and dents to explore other poetry written about the Yangtze. John controversies surrounding the Three Gorges Project. Student Hersey’s short work, A Single Pebble, recounts the experience of groups could work collaboratively to create parallel time lines an American engineer assigned to explore the feasibility of relating to political, economic, environmental, and social factors. damming the Yangtze in the 1920s. Students could trace his Some students might wish to develop an enlarged, illustrated changing perceptions of Chinese culture as he moves further and time line, and some may want to incorporate material from the further up the Yangtze. n

NOTES 1. Simon Winchester, The River at the Center of historical novel, the narrator/engineer describes 25. Sullivan, 266. the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back his upriver journey on a traditional river junk as 26. Tefft, 12. in Chinese Time (New York: Henry Holt and he experiences cultural differences and contem- 27. Dai Qing, xviii. Company, 1996), 218. plates the possibility of erecting a dam in the 28. Dai Qing, xviii. 2. Lecture by Deirdre Chetham, Executive Direc- gorges. 29. Chetham lecture. Yangtze River: The tor, Fairbank Center for East Asian Research, 16. Madeleine Lynn, Editor, 30. Sullivan, 267. Harvard University. Modern China in Transi- Wildest, Wickedest River in the World (Hong tion Institute, The New England China Net- Kong: Oxford University Press, 1997), 121. 31. Fisher, 70. work, July 21, 1997. 17. Lawrence Sullivan, “The Three Gorges Project: 32. Zwinger, 81. 3. Audrey R. Topping, “Ecological Roulette: Dammed if They Do?” Current History (Sep- 33. Luna B. Leopold, Emeritus Professor of Geolo- Damming the Yangtze,” Foreign Affairs (Sep- tember, 1995), 266. gy, University of California, Berkeley, com- tember-October, 1995), 144. Topping gives the 18. Paul Mooney, “Dam Buster: The Three Gorges ments on the issue of sedimentation, warning of cost of the dam as between 17.5 and 30 billion Project Stirs a Writer into Action,” Far Eastern ongoing erosion downstream. “. . . the dam’s dollars. Ann Zwinger predicts a higher pricetag, Economic Review (November 20, 1997), 82. claimed function of storing floods conflicts with the need to flush through the sediment- “. . . an incredible cost of at least $40 billion, a The River Dragon Has Come! The 19. Dai Qing, filled floodwaters. . . . (and) the sediment- figure that has been rising steadily with almost Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China’s deprived waters discharged by the dam would every report.” Ann Zwinger, “Last Look at the Yangtze River and Its People (New York and be highly erosive, thus undermining flood con- Long River,” Audubon (May-June, 1997), 81. London: M.E. Sharpe, Probe International and 4. Winchester, 4. trol levees downstream.” “Eminent U.S. Dam International Rivers Network, 1997), xviii. Expert Criticizes Three Gorges,” International 5. Ann Zwinger, “Last Look at the Long River,” 20. Dai Qing, xv and 25 ff. The authors devote the Rivers Network, //www.irn.org/programs/3g/ Audubon (May-June, 1997), 78. third essay in this book to “The World’s Most prleopold 960422.html). 6. Topping, 136. Catastrophic Dam Failures: The August 1975 34. Fisher, 70. Popular Collapse of the Banqiao and Shimantan Dams” 7. Arthur Fisher, “World’s Largest Dam,” 35. Topping, 139. Science (August, 1966), 70. in which 85,000 victims lost their lives. 36. Zwinger, 78, and Topping, 140. Catherine 8. Chetham Lecture. 21. Arthur Zich, “China’s Three Gorges Before the Flood,” National Geographic (September, Caulfield, in her article, “Rough Sailing at 9. Deirdre Chetham, Interview, Fairbank Center World Rivers Review 1997) 18–19. Three Gorges Dam,” for East Asian Research, Harvard University, (December, 1997), sets the amount of farmland Time September 19, 1997. 22. Sandra Burton, “Taming the River Wild,” to be lost at 620,000 acres. (December 19, 1994), 62. 10. Fisher, 70. 37. Zwinger, 78. Zwinger laments the loss of 11. Topping, 145. 23. Sullivan, 267. Dachang “. . . an acknowledged center of 12. Chetham Lecture. 24. Sheila Tefft, “Despite Controversy, China Push- herbal medicine . . . the town retains the best 13. Fisher, 69. es Ahead on Colossal Dam,” The Christian Sci- examples of Ming Dynasty homes and narrow ence Monitor 14. Topping, 145. (May 11, 1994), 11. Comment by streets. . . . A treasured landmark, the red, mul- Zhang Jianhua, one of more than 1 million A Single Pebble tistoried Shibaozhai Pagoda, will disappear. . . . 15. John Hersey, (New York: Vin- Chinese forced to move by the dam project. tage Books, 1984). In this short, informative

34 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 3, Number 1 Spring 1998 Resettlement figures from previous Chinese Hoh, Erling. “The Long River’s Journey Ends.” A STUDENT ADVISES THE FOLLOWING dams are not cheering; of the 10 million people Natural History. July, 1996. TO INTERNET USERS: who lost land to other projects, at least a third International Rivers Network, 1847 Berkeley Way, Get on AOL. Go to Newstand. Go to AOL NetFind do not now have living conditions as good as Berkeley, CA. 94703. Tel: 510-848-1155. Fax: 510- Search: Newspapers. Try entering “Yangtze,” those they were forced to leave. It makes one 848-1008. E-mail: [email protected]. World Wide Web: “Gorges” (this was very successful!) and “China cynical to contemplate the $534 million http://www.irn.org. Floods.” You can also try to get onto “Relief Web” by going to the “Internet” button on the main menu. ‘promised’ for relocation efforts that some Kristoff, Nicholas D. “China Breaks Ground for economists estimate could cost as much as $1 World’s Largest Dam.” The New York Times. June NETSCAPE users type in http://www.reliefweb.int/ billion.” 81. 22, 1993. in the spaces allotted to reach the Relief Web home 38. Zich, 17. Past copies of National Geographic page. Click on the word “Search” at the left of the Lynn, Madeleine. Yangtze River: The Wildest, can be purchased for $5.00 from the National screen. Enter the words “Yangtze” (forty-three doc- Wickedest River on Earth: An Anthology. Selected Geographic Society, P.O. Box 98199, Washing- uments will appear) and “China Floods” (205 docu- and edited by Madeleine Lynn. Hong Kong: Oxford ton, D.C. 20090-8199. Call toll free at 1-800- ments will appear). Good Luck. University Press. 1997. 647-5463 for information. This issue, with its Laura Reilly, Grade 10, Mooney, Paul. “Dam Buster: The Three Gorges striking photographs, detailed map, and infor- Newton Country Day School mative text, is a bargain. Project Stirs a Writer into Action.” Far Eastern 39. Chetham lecture. Economic Review. November 20, 1997. 40. Outline Maps on File, published by Facts on National Geographic Internet Address: File, Inc. (1997), contains an excellent map of www.nationalgeographic.com. China, ideal for this purpose. Plafker, Ted. “Flood of Controversy over China ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dam.” The Boston Sunday Globe. December 4, 1994. REFERENCES I would like to offer special thanks to Deirdre Radin, Charles. “Three Gorges: Huge Dam May Barker, Margaret, and Ryder, Grainne, Editors. Alter River Forever.” The Boston Globe. August 2, Chetham, Executive Director, Fairbank Center Damming the Three Gorges: What Dam Builders 1993. for East Asian Research, Harvard University. Don’t Want You to Know. A Critique of the Three Sullivan, Lawrence R. “The Three Gorges Project: Though I had worked with students in their Gorges Water Control Feasibility Study. London Dammed if They Do?” Current History. September, research on the Three Gorges Dam, Ms. and Toronto: Earthscan Publishers, Ltd. 1993. (This 1995. Modern book can be ordered through Earthscan Canada, Tefft, Sheila. “Despite Controversy, China Pushes Chetham’s lecture at an Institute on 225 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5S Ahead on Colossal Dam.” Christian Science Moni- China Society in Transition sponsored by The 2M6.) tor. May 11, 1994. New England China Network in July, 1997, Brauchli, Marcus W. “River of Dreams: The Topping, Audrey R. “Ecological Roulette: was the first time I had heard an expert Mighty Yangtze Seizes a Major Role in China’s Damming the Yangtze.” Foreign Affairs. Septem- The Wall Street Journal Economy.” , December 13, ber-October, 1995. address this topic. Ms. Chetham kindly agreed 1995. Tuna, Lily. “Three Gorges Still Gorgeous.” The to read my manuscript and offer suggestions Time Burton, Sandra. “Taming the River Wild.” , Wall Street Journal. October, 1996. December 19, 1994. for the environmental impact panel. I incorpo- Tyler, Patrick E. “China’s Endless Task to Stem rated many points from her lecture and our Caulfield, Catherine. “Rough Sailing at Three Centuries of Floods.” The New York Times. Sep- World Rivers Review Gorges Dam.” . Berkeley, Cal- tember 15, 1996. conversations. ifornia: International Rivers Network, December, Many thanks also to Mr. Robert Murrell, 1997. ——— . “China’s Inevitable Dilemma: Coal Equals Growth.” The New York Times. November 29, art teacher at Newton Country Day School, for Childs-Johnson, Elizabeth, Joan Leobold Cohen 1995. and Lawrence R. Sullivan. “Race Against Time: the striking graphic he drew showing the sub- Chinese Scholars Scramble to Save Sites Threat- ——— . “Chinese Dam’s Forbidding Future Dooms merged village, to my students Erin and Stacy Rich Past.” The New York Times. October, 1996. ened by World’s Biggest Dam.” Archaeology. Claxton for the hand-drawn map and poster November/December, 1996. ——— . “Cracks Show Early in China’s Big Dam “China’s Three Gorges Dam: Is the ‘Progress’ Project.” The New York Times. January 15, 1996. they prepared especially for this article, and to Worth the Ecological Risk?” Science and the Envi- ——— . “On China’s Overburdened Highway Sys- Dr. Lawrence Sullivan of Adelphi University ronment. 1966. www.voyagepub.com/publish. tem, It’s the Big Stall.” The New York Times. July for his assistance. 1, 1995. Dai, Qing. The River Dragon Has Come! The Three I would also like to thank Anne S. Watt, Gorges Dam and the Fate of China’s Yangtze River ——— . “A Tide of Pollution Threatens China’s and Its People. New York: M.E. Sharpe, Probe Prosperity.” The New York Times. September 25, Director of Primary Source, and John R. Watt, International and the International Rivers Network. 1994. Director of the New England China Network, 1998. Van Slyke, Lyman P. Yangtze, Nature, History, and for their stimulating summer institute on Mod- the River ———. Yangtze! Yangtze!. Edited by Patricia . Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publish- ern China Society in Transition, Summer, Adams and John Thibodeau. London and Toronto: ing Company, Inc., 1988. Earthscan and Probe International, 1989. English Winchester, Simon. The River at the Center of the 1997, for introducing me to Deirdre Chetham, Edition, 1994. (See address for Earthscan Canada in World: A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chi- and for Anne’s detailed lesson plan on the Big Barker entry above.) nese Time. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Map, which I adapted for this article. National Geographic 1996. “Dolphin’s Crisis.” , Septem- I also extend my gratitude to Kathleen ber, 1992. Zich, Arthur. “China’s Three Gorges Before the Faison, Seth. “Set to Build Dam, China Diverts Flood.” National Geographic. September, 1997. Woods Masalski, Program Coordinator, Five Yangtze While Crowing About It.” The New York (This single issue can be special ordered by phone College Center for East Asian Studies, for her Times. Sunday, November 9, 1997. from National Geographic.) encouragement to attempt this article. Fisher, Arthur. “World’s Largest Dam.” Popular Zwinger, Ann. “Last Look at the Long River: A Science. August, 1996. Journey up the Yangtze before the Three Gorges Geographic Education Standards Project. Geogra- Dam Changes it Forever.” Audubon. May-June, phy for Life: National Geography Standards, 1994. 1997. Washington D.C: National Geographic Research and Exploration: 1994. Available at National Geo- PATIENCE BERKMAN is an Educational Con- graphic Research and Exploration, 1145 17th St. sultant and Chair of the History Department at N.W., Washington D.C. 20036-4688. Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Hersey, John. A Single Pebble. New York: Vintage Heart, Newton, MA. Books. 1984.