Saturday, March 10, 2012 Day 6
Our day started off at 8:30 with an hour long bus ride to the Three Gorges dam. Along the way, we went through 5 tunnels including one of the longest tunnels in China at 3.6 km. During the ride, our new tour guide gave numerous interesting facts about the capacity and the construction of the project. The Three Gorges Project started in 1993 and construction finished in 2009. Currently there are approximately 1,000 people employed but at the height of construction there were more than 30,000 people involved with building the Project. The main purposes of the project are to provide electricity, prevent flooding, and allow navigation up and down the river. Of these three objectives, generating electricity is the most important. There are 26 generators located along the dam which generate 18.2 million kilowatts and can supply electricity to residents within a 1000 km radius. Another interesting observation about the site of the project was a shape in the mountain peaks that looked like a profile of a person laying on their back. Many local residents believed the profile looked like Mao Tse Tungand it was interpreted as a sign of good luck and that he would always be watching over the Project.
The Three Gorges dam was not as spectacular as we thought it was going to be. Despite our tour guide's assurances that today was a great day for viewing the dam, fog obstructed much of view. After stopping at a site to get a ticket we were then dropped off at a loading/unloading spot where we boarded a different bus to take us to the top of the dam. At this site there was a tourism building with a very nice model depicting the Project. After taking several pictures, we walked a short distance to another loading/unloading spot where we boarded another bus to take us further down the dam. This spot gave us a better view of the South (downstream) side as well as the construction of the lock system which will allow for improved navigation. The final bus took us to a garden/park area along the banks of the Yantzee River where we could see a frontal view of the dam. This park area was very pretty with cherry blossom trees and other sweet smelling plants carefully cultivated along a walking path. Additionally, there was a row of food vendors offering some interesting options for the local residents.
Our next destination took an hour bus ride back to the city for dinner at another really fancy restaurant in a hotel. The food was great! We were especially impressed with the pork or chicken (we don't what it was) wrapped in some type of reed grass.
Following dinner, we drove about forty minutes to visit a local farm in a nearby village. This was a very unique and amazing experience. The owner of the farm offered each of us steamed water and oranges that they grew on their farm. She then allowed us to walk through her house and take lots of pictures. The tiled floors and lack of furnishings were a couple of the observations that stood out for most students. Outside, we saw chickens, orange trees, and numerous crops. These crops included canola, lettuce, cabbage, onions, and other vegetables. While we were touring the farm we were introduced to their grandparents (ages 74 and 76) who were picking carrots and weeding. We also saw their outbuildings which included a couple of small brick sheds which each had one stall for one pig. It was fascinating to see how they cut trenches/ditches through their farmland in order to irrigate and fertilize their crops. Other things of interest were the ten foot deep fish pond as well as the sharing of one water buffalo amongst five families to plow the fields.
Our day started off at 8:30 with an hour long bus ride to the Three Gorges dam. Along the way, we went through 5 tunnels including one of the longest tunnels in China at 3.6 km. During the ride, our new tour guide gave numerous interesting facts about the capacity and the construction of the project. The Three Gorges Project started in 1993 and construction finished in 2009. Currently there are approximately 1,000 people employed but at the height of construction there were more than 30,000 people involved with building the Project. The main purposes of the project are to provide electricity, prevent flooding, and allow navigation up and down the river. Of these three objectives, generating electricity is the most important. There are 26 generators located along the dam which generate 18.2 million kilowatts and can supply electricity to residents within a 1000 km radius. Another interesting observation about the site of the project was a shape in the mountain peaks that looked like a profile of a person laying on their back. Many local residents believed the profile looked like Mao Tse Tungand it was interpreted as a sign of good luck and that he would always be watching over the Project.
The Three Gorges dam was not as spectacular as we thought it was going to be. Despite our tour guide's assurances that today was a great day for viewing the dam, fog obstructed much of view. After stopping at a site to get a ticket we were then dropped off at a loading/unloading spot where we boarded a different bus to take us to the top of the dam. At this site there was a tourism building with a very nice model depicting the Project. After taking several pictures, we walked a short distance to another loading/unloading spot where we boarded another bus to take us further down the dam. This spot gave us a better view of the South (downstream) side as well as the construction of the lock system which will allow for improved navigation. The final bus took us to a garden/park area along the banks of the Yantzee River where we could see a frontal view of the dam. This park area was very pretty with cherry blossom trees and other sweet smelling plants carefully cultivated along a walking path. Additionally, there was a row of food vendors offering some interesting options for the local residents.
Our next destination took an hour bus ride back to the city for dinner at another really fancy restaurant in a hotel. The food was great! We were especially impressed with the pork or chicken (we don't what it was) wrapped in some type of reed grass.
Following dinner, we drove about forty minutes to visit a local farm in a nearby village. This was a very unique and amazing experience. The owner of the farm offered each of us steamed water and oranges that they grew on their farm. She then allowed us to walk through her house and take lots of pictures. The tiled floors and lack of furnishings were a couple of the observations that stood out for most students. Outside, we saw chickens, orange trees, and numerous crops. These crops included canola, lettuce, cabbage, onions, and other vegetables. While we were touring the farm we were introduced to their grandparents (ages 74 and 76) who were picking carrots and weeding. We also saw their outbuildings which included a couple of small brick sheds which each had one stall for one pig. It was fascinating to see how they cut trenches/ditches through their farmland in order to irrigate and fertilize their crops. Other things of interest were the ten foot deep fish pond as well as the sharing of one water buffalo amongst five families to plow the fields.
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