Time and Tide: Five Years Behind the Three Gorges Damn

Chua Chin Hon

The Straits Times

Time and Tide: Rising Tide #16 Historically speaking, the Three Gorges - the Qutang, Wu, and Xiling Gorges - area refers to a 120km stretch of the Yangtze River between Fengjie county and Zigui county. But the dam has since changed the locals' geographic perception of the region. Cities and towns along the 660km-long reservoir created when the dam began storing water in 2003 are now referred to as being part of 'Three Gorges Reservoir' area. This is despite the fact that many are much further upstream from the Three Gorges proper. 'Ghost city' Fengdu, as shown here, is one such example. It earned its nickname from a necropolis, built there some 1,800 years ago, that is still popular with tourists to the region. Locals who used to live in the old parts of Fengdu joke that their hometown's nickname is appropriate in more ways than one, as no one other than ghosts would be able to live there once the waters rise. [Fengdu, June 18 2003]

Chua Chin Hon, "Time and Tide: Five Years Behind the Three Gorges Damn," in POYi Archive, Item #42651, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/42651 (accessed June 18, 2025).