Guide Note

Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric river dam that spans the Yangtze River in the central Chinese province of Hubei. Despite the fact that it will be the largest hydroelectric project in the world when it is completed, it has been the center of much controversy due to the adverse ecological and social effects the dam will have on the region around it.

Fast Facts

1. Largest hydroelectric dam in the world
2. Planned between 1919 and 1947
3. Construction began on December 14, 1994
4. Projected cost: 180 billion yuan ($30 billion USD)
5. Electric generating capacity will reach 22,500 MW upon completion
6. Expected to be fully operational in 2011
7. An estimated 1.3 million people will be displaced by the rising water
8. Constructed out of concrete
9. 7,661 feet long and 607 feet high
10. Concept originally envisioned in 1919 by Sun Yat-sen

Three Gorges Dam has been in various planning stages since [1919], when Sun Yat-sen first planned it as a step in the country's development. In 1944, American engineer J.L. Savage surveyed the area and prepared a proposal for the project. But the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War halted further development for the dam in 1947. Although the victorious Communist leader Mao Zedong supported the plan, it was not until 1980 that plans were revived. The dam was approved by a National People's Congress in [[1992], and construction officially began on December 14, 1994.