Three Gorges Dam in 2002

The Three Gorges Dam on China’s Yangtze River was to be the largest hydroelectric plant in the world on its completion.  Of about 20 days spent in China in 2002, four were spent on the Yangtze River, viewing the changes below the dam, above the dam, and the dam construction itself.  One surprise in design was the construction of two sets of locks, an express lock, and a series of sequential locks, as pictured in dam (7).  Presumably, the express lock is designed for high rollers who will pay nicely for passage up and down.  It is reminiscent of Superman of comic book fame, who could “leap tall buildings in a single bound”.