The Three Gorges Dam of of China's Yangtze River, the largest dam and power generation project in the world, received 1.18 million visitors last year.

 

The total -- 950,000 domestic and 230,000 foreign visitor -- was 27 percent up year on year, said Chen Mengjiong, manager of the Three Gorges Tourism Development Co. Ltd. Completion of the dam, 2,309 meters long and 185 meters high, in May last year, and the raising of the water level in the reservoir to 156 meters from 135 meters in October, triggered the visitor boom, said Chen.

 

A neighboring theme park built to commemorate the damming of the Yangtze River nearby opened to public on Oct. 1, becoming another popular attraction, he said.

 

Top of the dam, near Yichang city of western Hubei Province, originally opened to visitors in 2005. It is open from July to September when the Yangtze River is in spate, making a spectacular scene from above.

 

Only 1,000 visitors are allowed on top of the dam each day.

 

Chen said visitors can enjoy a grand view of water being discharged from the dam. The maximum discharge capacity was 11,610 cubic meters per second, the world's largest.

 

Begun in 1993, the Three Gorges Project will house 26 generators on both banks of the river. The project will be completed in 2009 and generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)