The Yangtze River and the Three Gorges Dam
A Bibliography of Resources in the Primary Source Library
Resources for Educators
Berkman, Patience. "The Three Gorges Dam: Energy, the Environment and the New Emperors." Education About Asia 3.1 (1998) : 27-35.
Includes useful background information for those who wish to teach about the environmental and political issues surrounding the dam, along with lesson plans and examples of student work. See also the author’s Curriculum Unit listed below for additional lesson plans and resources.
Bonavia, Judy. The Yangzi River and the Three Gorges. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton. 2002.
A polished and well illustrated travel guide.
Chetham, Deirdre. Before the Deluge : the Vanishing World of the Upper Yangtze River. New York : Palgrave, 2002.
A comprehensive, detailed, amusing and eminently readable story of the lives of peoples who have lived along the Yangtze River for thousands of years right up to the completion of the world's largest hydroelectric dam and flooding of the Three Gorges. The history, poetry, beliefs, livelihoods, survival, resettlement and opinions of river peoples are brought to life in this book, which evenly portrays both the pros and cons of this controversial project. Includes useful maps, notes, a detailed chronology and bibliography, and several appendices.
Dai, Qing. The River Dragon has Come: the Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's Yangtze River and Its People. Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, 1998.
The author's second collection of interviews and essays by Chinese scientists, journalists and intellectuals opposed to the Three Gorges Dam. Dai, Qing. Yangtze! Yangtze! New York : Earthscan Publications, 1994. First published in 1989 in China, the author has led the oppostion to the dam and helped to raise consciousness about the environmental and human impact with this collection of essays.
General Introduction to the Three Gorges Project. [China]: New Century, 2002.
Photographs of the dam under construction with basic data.
Hayman, Richard. Three Gorges of the Yangtzi: Grand Canyons of China. New York: W.W. Norton. 2000.
A short (33 p.) well illustrated overview of the river and the dam.
Hersey, John, A Single Pebble. New York : Vintage Books, 1989, c1956.
This is a classic. A young American sent to China to search for dam sites on the Yangtze River travels up the Yangtze making friends with the head tracker, and becomes involved with the ancient ways of life of the river people. Short, colorful, poignant story; the author knew China before 1949 well.
Hessler, Peter. River Town : Two Years on the Yangtze. New York : HarperCollins, 2001.
Recounts the author's Peace Corps life and work in Fuling, a major town along the banks of the Yangtze River in China's Sichuan province that is undergoing enormous change with the Three Gorges Dam project.
Hong, Ying. Daughter of the River. New York : Grove Press, 1997.
The autobiography of a young woman born along the Yangtze River that follows her life from the Great Famine of the early 1960s up to Tiananmen Square. Provides strongly felt insights into urban poverty.
Murcott, Susan. "China's Three Gorges Dam Project - The Big Dam Debate." Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Women and Water, Kathmandu, Nepal. August 30 - Sept. 4, 1998.
Murcott, Susan, ed. "The Big Dam Debate and the Three Gorges Project." Special Issue of Boston Society of Civil Engineers: Civil Engineering Practice. 12:1 (1997).
Three Gorges on Yangtze River. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1997.
Photographs of cultural and scenic high points along the gorges, some of which will soon be under water.
The Three Gorges on the Yangtze River. Haifeng: Haifeng Publishing House, 2001.
Detailed photographic survey of culture and geology along the gorges.
Three Gorges Project. Yichang, Hubei: China Three Gorges Project Corporation, 2000.
Technical introduction with charts and data calculated to end of 1999. Includes the official Chinese environmental impact analysis.
Van Slyke, Lyman P. Yangtze: Nature, History, and the River. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1988.
Written while the dam was still in the planning stages, this is an important work covering the geological, historical, and cultural world of the river by a respected historian.
Winchester, Simon. The River at the Center of the World : a Journey up the Yangtze and back in Chinese Time. New York : Henry Holt, 1996.
The author traveled the full 3,964 miles of the river, from the mouth near Shanghai to its source in Tibet. This book recounts the journey along with historical and geographic information. Though some criticize the book as too condescending, it is a well-written and interesting journey recounted by a masterful storyteller.
Wong, How Man. Exploring the Yangtze : China's Longest River. San Francisco : China Books & Periodicals Inc, 1989.
The author, a National Geographic photographer, explored the entire length of the river and produced wonderful photographs and an interesting narrative.
Yangtze River: the Wildest, Wickedest River on Earth; an Anthology. Selected and edited by Madeleine Lynn. Hong Kong ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1997.
Spans 13 centuries as a literary history of China's longest waterway, and includes classical poetry, Victorian memoirs and contemporary travel writing. An excellent selection with some unique pieces.
Yangtze Valley Water Resources Protection Bureau. Ecology and Environment of the Three Gorges Project. Beijing: Science Press, 2000.
Zhou, Hankun, compiler. An Epic Undertaking: the Three Gorges Project: Power for Today and Tomorrow. Beijing: Three Gorges Project Corporation, no date.
Heavy emphasis on the official line, with some choice quotes from senior officials. Also contains some stunning photographs not available in other sources.
Zich, Arthur. "China's Three Gorges: Before the Flood." National Geographic Magazine 192:3 (1997) : 2
Presents both sides of the project debate with many photographs and a detailed map.
Resources for Students
Flack, Marjorie. The Story about Ping. New York: Penguin Books, 1977.
The classic tale of a little duck who finds adventure on the Yangtze River when he is too late to board his master's houseboat one evening.
Meister, Cari. Yangtze River. Edina, MN : ABDO Pub. Co, c2002.
Surveys the origin, geological borders, water, plant and animal life, and economic and ecological aspects of the Yangtze River.
Pollard, Michael, The Yangtze. New York : Benchmark Books, 1998.
Traces the course of the third longest river in the world, and describes its physical features, history, importance as a source of food and for transportation, and more.
Teacher Created Curriculum Units
Berkman, Patience. The Three Gorges Dam : Energy, the Environment, and the New Emperors. Watertown, MA : Primary Source, 1998.
The proposed Three Gorges Dam is the largest water conservation project ever attempted in the world, and will result in the world's largest hydroelectric plant. It will also result in the displacement of over 1.2 million people from nearly 375 townships. The rising waters will inundate over 632 square kilometers of mostly traditional farm land. With this introduction, Berkman frames the debate and a course of study that leads the students through Chinese geography, literature, history, and culture . Individual and group activities are well-presented and thoroughly documented.
Fuller, Mary. China: a Geographical Focus. Watertown, MA : Primary Source, 1999.
Three-week unit for seventh graders which introduces students to the geography of China and its relationship to population size and distribution Includes directions for making big maps, and discussion of the Three Gorges Dam project.
Kleponis, Richard. Using the Five Themes of Geography to Understand Modern China. Watertown, MA : Primary Source, 2001.
Contains three distinct units : 1) Comparative Mapping 2) Three Gorges Dam, and 3) The Good Earth.
Taylor, Tricia. The Three Gorges Dam : The Pros and Cons Debate. Watertown, MA : Primary Source, 2000.
The unit exposes students to the environmental, economic, and social ramifications of building megadams, and to modern China and its needs. Designed to encourage students to think about both positive and negative effects of building dams, the unit provides seven days worth of complete lessons, a wealth of background information, handouts, and a four-page bibliography. Classroom activities include: mapping, jigsaw-style discussions, debates, writing essays, watching a video, and research using a variety of media.
Videos
Great Wall Across the Yangtze. Stardust Pictures presents an ITVS production of a film by Ellen Perry. Alexandria, VA : Distributed by PBS Home Video, 2000.
In 1994, the People's Republic of China ordered the damming of the Yangtze River setting off the construction of the world's largest dam and hydroelectric power-plant. This video looks at both sides : Chinese leaders hope the project will propel the economy into the 21st century; critics think it's a social and environmental disaster. See also http://www.itvs.org/greatwall/ for additional information about the film, the filmmaker, articles and news reports about the project and a list of additional resources including websites.
Three Gorges : the Biggest Dam in the World. A Transatlantic Films Production for Discovery Communications. Bethesda, MD : Discovery Communications, 1998.
Meet the experts who plan to tame the Yangtze River by building the Three Gorges Dam and find out what is required to create the world's largest concrete structure.
Websites
Please note that some sites below include official information from China about the dam, while others provide information from environmental and other international groups opposed to the dam.
The Three Gorges Project: A Brief Introduction from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States.
Several news organizations have posted reports about the dam. They include: Millions moved by Chinese dam , a report from BBC News; China's biggest construction project since the Great Wall generates controversy home and abroad, from CNN; The past underwater, by ABC News; Final phase of Three Gorges Dam project begins in central China, by the Environmental News Network; Massive Water Diversion Project to Ease Water Shortage in North China, in the English version of China's newspaper People's Daily;
The International Rivers Network's mission is "to halt and reverse the degradation of river systems, to support local communities in protecting and restoring the well-being of the people, cultures and ecosystems that depend on rivers; and to promote sustainable, environmentally sound alternatives to damming and channeling rivers." As such, they have launched campaigns against the Three Gorges Dam, particularly calling attention to the environmental and social impact. Their website is a rich collection of articles, press releases, reports, photographs, and videos. Some of the specific reports include: Resettlement and Construction of the Three Gorges Dam and Sediment Problems with Dams.
Three Gorges Probe is a project of Probe International, a Canadian effort "dedicated to covering the scientific, technical, economic, social, and environmental ramifications of completing the Three Gorges Project and alternatives to the dam." The website is available in both English and Chinese. They provide a clearinghouse of news reports from sources throughout the world, their own The Three Gorges News Probe, and also include reports, extensive background material, a photo gallery, and links to additional resources. Recent reports include: an article on the 100 archeological teams racing against time to recover artifacts; a report on resettlement; and a question and answer session between students at Beijing Univ. and a manager at the dam. Their Campaign Archive contains a review of the project with useful statistics and data.
China E-News: Energy, Environment Economy includes links to organizations, government sites, and news organizations in China with several references to the dam.
General background information on the project from China's Ministry of Water Resources on a website prepared in cooperation with the University of Maryland at College Park.
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on dams from the Discovery School site that focuses on Three Gorges, but could have wider application for dam construction and engineering.
A Case Study on the dam created by American University.
A series of online simulation lessons from Colorado State University on the dam that incorporates use of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping.
A wonderful collection of photos on the Yangtze River from the Angier School in Newton, Massachusetts website.
This site from the China International Travel Service also includes great photographs and descriptions of locations along the river.
Created March 2003.
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