Around the last bend of Xiling Gorge stretches a vast plain. The river suddenly becomes wide here. Travelers on the Yangtze cruise may also visit many sites of historical and scenic interest along the river banks including the ruined of baidi Town and Precious Stone Village.
Everyone knows that the Yangtze Gorges are changing since the well-known Three Gorges Dam Project is being built at Sabdouping, Yichang, Hubei Province. The dam is 181 meters in height. Its construction investment comes up to 203.9 billion rmb, equals to 24.65 billion U.S. dollars. The installed power generation capacity is expected to be 18.2 million kilo watts. With the dam built, the flood in the Yangtze River valley will be controlled, navigation improved besides the economic benefits. Tourism will be little affected. Many cultural and historical relics are now being removed to a higher ground before the rise of the water level approaches.
