There are many advantages in constructing the Three Gorges Dam, and among them include flood control, power generation, improved shipping conditions, and tourism attractions.
Flood Control
The capacity of Three Gorges Dam flood control reservoir is about 22.15 billion cubic meters, which can control the upstream flood efficiently. Even in dire flood situations, the dam can automatically control the flow of the river within an acceptable range of safety. With the help of the flood diversion structure, the Three Gorges Dam Project will protect both banks of the Yangtze River from suffering the kind of destruction that has occurred over the past 1000 years. This project not only solves the threat of flood, but also prevents Jingjiang River from disasters.
Power Generation
The average annual power generation from the Three Gorges Dam is about 84 billion kilowatt-hours, which can substitute about 0.5 billion tons of coal. It’s sufficient to be used in Central China, East China and Eastern Sichuan Province area. Power generation will have positive effects on the pressure of transportation and environmental pollution.
Shipping
When the Three Gorges Dam Project completes, the reservoir would form a deep channel, with a distance of 660 kilometers. Experts said this channel could improve the shipping condition of Chongqing. Some dangerous shoals will be submerged, so it will affect the speed of water and the depth of shipping. Of course, the efficiency of transportation will improve and its cost will decrease by 35% to 37%.
Tourism
Three Gorges Dam Project is a tourist attraction.
1. Special-purpose Road of Three Gorges Dam Project -
This road is built in 1994 and began operation in October 1996. It is 28.64 kilometers long. 40% of the road is occupied by 35 bridges and 5 tunnels. Among these tunnels, Muyucao is the longest tunnel with a distance of 3,610 meters, which is the longest road-tunnel in China. This special-purpose road can be regarded as the Museum of Bridges and Tunnels in China.
2. Maogong Mountain -
There is a special mountain that looks like a man lying on the top of other mountains. It also called Huangniuyan (Yellow Ox Crag). Local people say it looks like our former chairman MaoZedong and you can see its hair, forehead, eyes, brows, nose, mouth and body clearly, so people named this mountain Maogong Mountain.
3. Tanzi Mountain (坛子岭) -
This place will become a permanent platform for tourists to view the three gorges dam scenery. It’s said that long times ago, a magic ox helped Dayu who controlled the river enter his home successfully. In order to thank the ox, people gave him a huge boat with 24 pigs and a great bottle of wine. But the ox just left a shadow on a mountain flying into the sky without taking anything from the boat.
After that, people called the mountain Yellow Ox Crag. And then the huge boat became a small island known as Zhongbao Island. On it the "24 pigs" became the 24 reefs; the great bottle of wine became a mountain known as Tanzi Mountain. It’s also said you’ll smell an enticing liquor fragrance when the weather is fine in Tanzi Mountain.
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