Burning Down the House

The village of Dachang, located on the banks of the Danning River , a Yangtze tributary, was built during the Ming Dynasty. The village is a time capsule. Life goes on there as it has for centuries. Entire streets, houses and ways of life exist today just as they did during the Ming Dynasty. This village is also within the projected flood area of the Three Gorges Dam. In the recent PBS documentary "Great Wall Across the Yangtze," it is indicated that Dachang may be saved. The government apparently has plans to relocate the entire village to higher ground outside of the flood area.

Water is also slowly rising on the Big Buddha sculpture at Single Pebble Village. (See my article "A Single Pebble and the Single Pebble Village".) This impressive temple is still visited by people paying their respects and praise to the Future, or "Maitreya," Buddha depicted in the carvings. Situated directly on the banks of the Yangtze, this sacred Buddhist place is not long for this world. The Maitreya Buddha, believed to be coming back to Earth one day to deliver the devout from the evils of the world, had better hurry.

Further examination of some of the archaeological sites and finds to be lost to the Three Gorges Dam will continue next week. Please come back for the rest of the story, and stay tuned for photos to be posted as we go.

Below you will find some sites which can help you find out more about the Three Gorges Dam, the protests trying to stop it and tragedies surrounding the project. Also, there are some reading suggestions that you may find interesting. Until next time, happy surfing, and happy reading!

Links

Three Gorges Photos
The United States, China and the Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
IRN's China Campaigns
China: Silence on Three Gorges Dam Grows Deeper
Three Gorges Dam Moves Ahead
Discovery Online: Valley of the Dammed
Great Wall Across the Yangtze
Worldsat: The Three Gorges Project
The Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution in China

Books

The River Dragon Has Come! by Dai Qing
A Single Pebble by John Hersey
Three Gorges of the Yangzi: Grand Canyons of China by Richard Perry Hayman
The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester
Through the Dragon's Mouth: Journeys Into the Yangtzi's Three Gorges by Ben Thomson Cowles

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