We left the big boat for a smaller one to take us down the Da Ning River, a tributary of the Yangtze, and through the Lesser Gorges of Wushan.

Typical splendor encountered during the trip into the lesser gorges area.

Traveling through a remote past with towering peaks and steep cliffs shrouded in mist and clouds.

Back on Victoria 1 and the Yangtze River going through the second of the Three Gorges. The Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world. The population of the greater Yangtze River Valley is 450 million or one third of the population of China. Put another way, one in ten people on this planet live in the vicinity of the mighty Yangtze.

The Yangtze is a powerful river with a swift and treacherous current.

We saw countless waterfalls in the gorges.

The Three Gorges Dam will also be used for flood control and irrigation. It is the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken by man.

This hydroelectric dam being built near the Three Gorges area will be the world's largest and provide 20% of China with electricity. The flooding that will result from this project will displace 1.5 million people. The state is building new apartments for these people and will relocate them. The dam will be completed in 2009 but the relocation effort has already begun since the flooding will be done in stages.