Yichang Things to Do

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I found this to be more far more interesting than the dam. The locks work in both directions meaning that ships coming from downstream can navigate through the series of five lock stages at the same time as ships navigating upstream. The whole process takes around 4 hours in total. The locks are designed to be 280m long, 35m wide, and 5m deep (918 x 114 x 16.4 ft).

Before the dam was constructed, the maximum freight capacity of the river at the Three Gorges site was 18.0 million tonnes per year. From 2004 to 2007, there was a total of 198 million tonnes of freight that passed through the Three Gorges Dam ship locks. The freight capacity of the river increased 6 times and the cost of shipping reduced by 25%, compared to the previous years. The total capacity of the ship locks is expected to reach 100 million tonnes.

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The Three Gorges Dam is located in Sandouping, about 30km from Yichang. It is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world and once the world's largest single construction project. With a long history of planning, the dam body was finished in 2006. When finished, it contained 32 main generators, each with a capacity of 700 MW. All of the originally planned components of the project were completed on October 30, 2008, when the 26th generator was brought into commercial operation. Six additional generators in the underground power plant are being installed, not expected to become fully operational until around 2011. The total electric generating capacity of the dam will then reach 22,500 MW.

I visited the dam in April 2008 and wasn't overly impressed. Yes, it's big, but more in length than in height. For me, the Hoover Dam in the USA is far more impressive. Add this to the controversy of it and the environmental impact and you'll have to weigh up all the pros and cons of the dam when you visit.

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This scale model of the Three Gorges Dam is located in the Visitors centre which is located on the north bank of the river beside the dam itself. However, another scale model of the dam inside the Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing is much better!

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The main reason to come to Chongqing is to take a cruise on the mighty Yangzi River down river to the massive but controversial Three Gorges Dam near Yichang. I booked a first class cabin (as I was travelling on my own and didn't fancy sharing with other Chinese travellers) at a hostel called The Mix Hostel in Chengdu for around Y1490. This included a bus from Chengdu to Chongqing, 3 nights on the boat and a trip along the Little Three Gorges. I arrived on my boat, called the Chang Hang Jiang Shan II, at about 7pm after being taken to the wharf by the cruise company. The itinerary along the way consists of visits to temples, a city called Fengdu, known as the Ghost City, some waterfalls and the Three Gorges themselves known as Qutang Xia, Wu Xia and Xiling Xia. They are not as spectacular as they once were due to the rise in level of the river but still impressive all the same. The best part of the trip was a visit to the Little Three Gorges as the river here, called the Daning, is shallow and the cliffs are very narrow. Make sure this is included in your trip.

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It is a real shame, but, the Ming steps are slowly disappearing as the water level of the Yangtze River raises to the targeted height of 175 meters.

Standing for thousands of years, these steps were carved into the cliff face above the Yangtze River during the time of the Ming Dynasty. The steps and paths were used as a trade route for hundreds of years as well as a shortcut between villages and towns by the locals.

There are not many sections of this structure left to see as they have already been claimed by the river, which is slowly turning into a lake.

I feel privileged to have seen them with my own eyes.

A fellow traveler asked me, “What do you think the major industry is in China?” to which I replied, “Flag making!”

It is amazing to see the number of flags that fly from anything that closely resembles a flagpole! If it is straight, it is a flagpole in China.

Children play with the national flag, every boat on the rivers fly the flag, T-shirts have the flag printed on them…the list goes on.

Patriotism at its best!

Fake Rolex watches, brand name handbags, polo shirts, pens, birds and fake antiques are all on offer here. Being a regional area of China there are also a number of bargains to be had that represent "old China" or "country China."

Umbrellas were all the rage with the ladies as most locals were using them to provide shade from the burning sun. It was over 35 Degrees Celsius when we visited in July 2008.

Just as you would in every other part of China that you visit, remember to haggle for a good price as a starting price of 200 Yuan can often be purchased for 30 Yuan!

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Food stalls are everywhere in China, and Yichang is no exception. Anne and I frequented a number of these stalls on a regular basis to stock up on bottles of water and, Anne’s favorite, peach juice.

Although some of the street food looked very nice, and the prices were even nicer, I kept thinking of those adverts on television about the traveler holed up in a dingy hospital somewhere with food poisoning. (And the thought of Anne’s voice ringing in my ears for years to come, “I TOLD YOU SO!”)

You see, when I was in Zimbabwe I got salmonella poisoning, when I was in Uganda I got food poisoning, when I was in……the list could go on…just ask Anne LOL:))