Over lunch, I asked the guide how much of the Daning valley would be flooded. The first people will be moved in 1997 to factory towns along the river. When I asked what he would do after being relocated, he said he'd still be a guide. Suddenly the Kodachrome views turned to black and white. Her words will prove prophetic if the dam is constructed, as low-lying areas of the city will be submerged.
China is on fast-forward, and the only thing that is certain is change.
No one can dispute that China's 1.2 billion people need a cleaner source of power than coal, but this megadam's costs surely outweigh its benefits. The Three Gorges region is already one of China's most popular tourist destinations.