The Three Gorges Dam Project of the Yangtze River in China is the world’s largest hydro-engineering project at present costing US$24 billion. It is also the world’s biggest hydroelectric power plant which boasts a total generating capacity of 18,200 megawatts. The project can also help to tame the floods that threaten the Yangtze delta each summer.
Since the start of construction in 1992 about 16 million tonnes of concrete have been poured into the giant barrier across the Yangtze River, creating a reservoir that drives 26 giant turbines.
More than 1,000 cities, towns and villages were flooded. 1.4 million people were relocated. A substantial amount of natural habitats were lost together with precious flora and fauna. A huge amount of historic sites, scenic sites, archaeological and cultural sites were submerged under the water forever. Extensive efforts were made to relocate and preserve some of the sites.
Patrick painted the landscape near Qutang Gorge before and after the building of the Dam. The town with modern multi-stories buildings in the first painting was submerged under the blue water of the second painting. The blue colour was used to exaggerate the depth of the river after the flooding.
Acknowledgements :
I would like to thank my good friend and my mentor Mr Ng for writing a poem for my painting. I miss him very much.
Patrick Siu Chinese Calligraphy & Landscape Painting 蕭燿漢談書畫 