400,000 people employed.

The Three Gorges Dam.

Who: The people of China; more specifically, the Chinese government. Tbey commissioned the construction of the dam since the last flood wiped out hundreds of cities and cost 26 million in damage.

What: A dam that will withstand earthquakes and keep the area from flooding. That is, the area that is not already flooded from the project itself. The dam is causing water to rise almost 400 feet in many places.

Where: In small rural communities who have thrived on the Yangtze River for centuries, and even in tourist attractions like Ghost City. People are being displaced by the government and sent to live in government provided housing. Many people reject these places because they are completely void of any culture or community.

When: It was commissioned in 1994 and will not be finished until 2009. (Posing an apparent danger since the next big flood is overdue by a few years already).

Why: Hmmm... there are a couple of "why's"

• Why is this such a controversy if it will help the people?
• Why is this dam so special?

Well, this is controversial because of the Three Gorges. The Three Gorges is a very popular tourist attraction and a huge part of Chinese history. When this dam is successfully built, it will cause the water to rise almost 400 feet into the area where the gorges are located. Devasted by this destruction of beauty, many people are opposed to the building of this dam. Also, the government has been more than pushy with their wishes for people. Displacing over a million people without compensation or permission has been an injustice in many peoples' eyes.

(The Three Gorges)

This dam is special because it is extremely state-of-the-art. It will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. It is so big, in fact, that it can be seen from space, spanning nearly a mile across the stretch of river. Not to mention that this dam will produce 10% of China's total electrical power. In essence, this dam is above and beyond any dam - perhaps any human architectural endeavor - that our world has ever seen.

Here are my sources for pictures:

http://www.yangtzeriver.org/threegorges_dam/pic/1.jpg

http://www.gluckman.com/boat1.jpg

If you would like to check out more on this topic, you might like...

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/asian.superpower/three.gorges/

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/july-dec97/gorges_10-8.html