The Gezhouba Water Control Project is the first such project constructed on the main course of the Yangtze River. Going downstream on the Yangtze River for about 2,300 meters (1.4 miles) after passing through the Nanjin Pass, you see the Gezhouba Dam lying across the 2,200-meter-wide (1.36 miles wide) stretch of water. The dam is about 2,561 meters (1.6 miles) long making it the longest in the world. The Three Gorges Dam is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the Gezhouba Dam.
The Gezhouba Water Control Project is the Chinese people's first attempt at controlling the Yangtze River. The dam is composed of ship locks, power stations, sluice gates and silt-releasing sluices and took 18 years to build and was completed in 1988. The project combined electricity generation, navigation, flood control and irrigation and proved to be a great achievement.
Now the dam plays a significant role in many respects. There are three ship locks on the Gezhouba Dam, each being 280 meters long (306.2 yards) and 34 meters high (111.5 feet). 50 million tons of cargo goes through the waterway annually, each ship passing smoothly through the locks in 45 minutes. The 21 sets of turbines within the dam can produce about 157 billion kilowatt-hours each year. The dam's functions of flood control and irrigation ensure a safe life and good harvests in the surrounding areas and in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Visitors coming to visit the dam can view the electric model of the Gezhouba Water Control Project and the documentary film showing the cutting of the new course of the Yangtze River.
The Gezhouba Dam also serves as a bridge connecting the north and south bank of the river. With the top of the dam being 30 meters wide (32.8 yards), a highway, a railway and walkways have been constructed to form a main artery between the two banks.
Entrance Fee:
CNY 10 for Gezhouba Dam;
CNY 20 for Gezhouba Ship Lock
Transportation: Take Bus No. 3 or 9 and get off at Gezhouba Dam (CNY 1).
Other Famous Attraction in Yichang: Chinese Sturgeon Museum
