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Formation of the Yangtze Gorges and
Construction of the Key Water Control Project (1)
By Ren Min
When you pass through the Yangtze Gorges, standing in awe before the beauties of the
towering peaks and the sheer cliffs, wondering if they were all feats of supernatural
spirits, can you imagine that the spectacular Yangtze Gorges was completely submerged in
deep waters of a vast ocean 200,000,000 years ago?
 Heaven on
earth
About 180,000,000 years ago, Indo China Movement, one of the most violent organic
movements on earth, made the ancient Mediterranean retreat to the west and the earth
plates under the present Gorges up heaven. A water system connected all the remnant rivers
and lakes together to flow westwards into the ancient Mediterranean. This water system is
the original Yangtze River but flowing in the opposite direction. About 140, 000, 000
years ago, another movement, Yanshan Movement, occurred in China, which resulted in the
formation of Tanggula Mountains and the constant slow upheaval of Qinghai Tibet Plateau. A
series of fold mountains such as Qiyao, Wushan and Huangling rose up along the border of
Sichuan and Hubei provinces, forming a valley with the Daba Mountains to its north. Rivers
and streams developed on both slopes but flowed in different directions. When the next
organic movement took place about thirty or forty million years ago, the Himalayas, the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau took shape, but the ancient Mediterranean disappeared. The stretch
of land along the present river reaches began to rise, and this rising was greater at the
western end, hence the present position: the west end is higher than the east end. The
anticlinal strata along the present Yangtze Gorges continually grew up wards. In the next
thousands of years, the "Western River" on one side of the strata and the
"Eastern River" on the other end cut deeper the river beds and drew nearer to
each other until they pierced through the rocks and joined together to form one whole run.
 A core from the dam's foundation
Once the Gorges took its shape, the rushing torrents began scouring the river bed and
the banks, making the river deeper and broader. It was with such indomitable strength and
tenacity that the mighty Yangtze River broke out of the mountain ranges, rushed through
the rocky gorges, and rolled on incessantly eastwards.
"From among thousands of mountains comes the great river rolling eastwards."
The Yangtze River flows over the vast land of Central China like a colorful belt around
China's waist. Originating from the southwestern slope of the snow copped Mt. Geladandong,
the major peak of the Tanggula Mountains, the Yangtze River rolls through 10 provinces,
municipalities and autonomous regions of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hunan,
Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai, admitting over 200 tributaries on its 6380 km
journey before it empties into East China Sea. It is the third longest river in the world,
only after the Amazon and the Nile.
 Cliff in Wu Gorge
In its long history, the Yangtze had different names. Originally, it was referred to
only as Jiang (River), later Dajiang (Great River), but now the Yangtze. Actually
speaking, the section from its origin to the mouth of the Chumaer River is called the
Tuotuo River, the next section from the mouth of the Chumaer to the mouth of the Batang
River in Yushu is called the Tongtian River; the section from the Batang to Yibing of
Sichuan Province is the Jinsha River; the last section is named the Changjiang River. The
main stream of the River is also divided into three parts. From the origin to Yichang of
Hubei Province is the upper part, from Yichang to Hukou of Jiangxi Province the middle
part, and from Hukou to its exit at Congming Island, the lower part.
Each year, the Yangtze contributes 1000 billion m3 water into the sea. Such a volume is
about 20 times that of the Yellow River. The River has an estimated potential water energy
capacity of 260 million kilowatts making up 40% of the total amount throughout the
country, and this amount is even greater than the total in the three countries of the
U.S., Canada and Japan. The river's 1.8 million km2 drainage area, which is almost one
fifth of China's total territory, is the essence of the country, where one fourth of
Chinese people are living and multiplying, creating 40% of China's total wealth. From
ancient times, this river has been praised, admired and worshipped as River Mother of
China.
 Cliff in Wu Gorge
Nevertheless, this great river, the cradle of Chinese nationality and civilization, is
also a serious trouble-maker at the country's heart. The abundant river water has brought
about harvests and wealth, but it is also the origin of boundless miseries. Historical
records tell us that from the beginning of the Han Dynasty to the end of the Qing, a
period of over 2000 years, as many as 214 severe floods took place on the middle and lower
reaches, about one every ten years. During the Qing and the Republic of China periods,
fierce floods occurred about every 5 years. The embankments on middle and lower parts of
the Han River, the biggest tributary of the Yangtze, burst about 2 times every 3 years.
From 1153 to the present, over 10 worst floods have broken out along the Yangtze. Frequent
floods submerged a large amount of fields and caused heavy losses of lives. The two floods
which occurred in 1931 and in 1935 submerged 50, 960, 000 mu (340, 000 hectares )and 22,
460, 000 mu (150, 000 hectares)of farmland respectively, with a loss of 145, 500 people in
the first, and 142, 000 in the other. In 1945, despite the great efforts made by millions
of people, the flooding killed 33,000 people and submerged 47, 950, 000 mu (3.2 million
hectares) of cropland. Transport on the Beijing-Guangzhou railway was suspended for 100
days. Those who suffered most from all these are the people along the river banks.
How to solve this serious problem? How to remove the heavy burden of the Yangtze
flooding off the hearts of Chinese people? How to tame the river so that it would cause no
more trouble? And how to make it benefit the Chinese nation? These questions have long
haunted in the minds of more than one generation.
"Walls of stone will stand upstream to the west,
To hold back Wushan's clouds and rain
Till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges."
 Zhongbao Isle, the base of the project, view from sky
(To be continued)
Formation of the
Yangtze Gorges and Construction ... (1)
Formation of the
Yangtze Gorges and Construction ... (2)
Formation of the
Yangtze Gorges and Construction ... (3)
Formation of the
Yangtze Gorges and Construction ... (4)
Formation of the
Yangtze Gorges and Construction ... (5)
Formation of the
Yangtze Gorges and Construction ... (6)
Xiling Yangtze Bridge at the Three Gorges Project
Relating topics:
Three Gorges
Project, Water Level and Scenic Spots Affected
Three Gorges Dam
Scheduled to Block Up in November 2002
Brief Introduction to the Three Gorge Project Construction
How Did the Three Gorges Come into Existence
Three Gorges Project (TGP)
Why China Builds the Big Dam
Report on Environmental Impact of the TGP
Gezhouba Dam
Some facts about the Gezhouban Dam
Three Travelers' Cave
Nanjin Pass
Yichang |
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