China's Three Gorges Dam: History, Controversy, and Impact
This paper examines the history and ongoing controversy surrounding China's Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, one of the largest hydroelectric projects ever undertaken. Beginning with Sun Yat-sen's 1919 proposal and tracing debates through the Mao era, economic reforms, and into the early 2000s, the paper covers the dam's stated benefits—flood control, energy generation, and improved navigation—alongside serious objections from engineers, environmentalists, archaeologists, human rights advocates, and foreign governments. It also addresses international financial decisions by the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the World Bank, the jailing of critics, and unresolved questions about construction quality, resettlement, and environmental damage.
- Introduction: The Scale and Purpose of the Three Gorges Dam: Dam's massive scale, cost, and stated goals
- Historical Background and Early Debates: Origins from 1919 through repeated construction starts and stops
- Opposition, Criticism, and Government Response: Critics jailed as resettlement and construction pressed forward
- Arguments For and Against the Dam: Energy, shipping, and flood benefits weighed against pollution risks
- International Financial and Political Reactions: US and World Bank withdraw financial support amid controversy
- Environmental Enforcement and the Road Ahead: Regulators challenge dam operators; future remains uncertain
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What makes this paper effective
- It presents multiple competing perspectives—government proponents, engineers, environmentalists, journalists, and international financial institutions—giving the analysis breadth and balance.
- It grounds abstract policy debate in concrete human consequences: the displacement of 1.9 million people, the deaths from a collapsed bridge, and the jailing of journalists who criticized the project.
- The chronological structure makes a complex, decades-long controversy easy to follow without oversimplifying the political and technical issues involved.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of source synthesis to build a cumulative argument. Rather than relying on a single source for each claim, it draws from government reports, advocacy organizations, and journalistic accounts to show that opposition to the dam was not fringe but widespread and multi-disciplinary. The inclusion of direct quotation from journalist Jin Hui anchors the environmental critique in vivid, specific language.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by establishing the dam's extraordinary scale and cost, then moves chronologically through its political history from 1919 to the mid-2000s. A middle section surveys the clash of pro- and anti-dam arguments. The paper then pivots to international reactions before closing with a recent enforcement action and a brief forward-looking conclusion. This arc—from origins to present consequences—gives the paper a clear narrative logic.
Introduction: The Scale and Purpose of the Three Gorges Dam
In 2009, a monumental undertaking that began in China in 1994 was planned for completion. The Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River was expected to be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. It would stretch nearly a mile across and tower 575 feet above the earth's third longest river. Its reservoir would reach over 350 miles upstream and force the displacement of close to 1.9 million people. The cost was approximated at over $24 billion (China Online). Since its conception, however, this project has caused considerable conflict. Whether it would be constructed as designed and finished by its due date was highly questionable.
The idea for the Three Gorges Dam was proposed to solve several major national problems. First, the project was seen as an important future source of energy for China's ever-expanding electrical usage. It was also expected to significantly reduce the destructive power of the Yangtze. The river's floods have caused great havoc over the millennia. During the past century alone, they claimed over one million lives and caused millions of dollars in damage (China Online).
References
China Online. Three Gorges Dam Project. October 3, 2000. Retrieved February 4, 2005.
International Rivers Network. Retrieved February 4, 2005. http://www.irn.org/programs/threeg/
Kennedy, Bruce. CNN.com, China. "China's Three Gorges Dam."
Ni, Ching-Chi. Latimes.com, Los Angeles. "China Environment Agency Takes On Giant Dam Corporation." February 4, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2005. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-dam3feb03,1,6964338.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true
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