Sunday, September 14, 2008, 11:34 PM
Happy mid autumn festival, peeps.
I'm 3 days lack,
12Sep08
The say which started the trip by having 5 hours from our hostel to the place where three gorges dam was situated at YiChang. a
hydroelectric river dam that spans the Yangtze River in Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei, China. It is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world. The total electric generating capacity of the dam will reach 22,500 megawatts. Several generators are yet to be installed; the dam is not expected to become fully operational until about 2014. It was said by the tour guide who was with us when we start the three gorges visit. Before the visit to the place, we had some rest at a restaurant to have our lunch before heading to the three gorges dam. Had a filling meal at the place which was a part the 长江三峡大坝 company's restaurant, I still can't get over the oily food that I had. Though Chinese can cook good food however the amount of oil they use it's really out of healthy level, but I just can't expect much cause it's their cultural food that I want to taste. Their speciality food is they cook what they grow, lotus root, cabbage, the vegetables ate very fresh and nice. ((:Then, had head to 长江三峡大坝, the tour guide had explained some of the building of dam over at Yangtze river. Potential
economic benefits such as flood control, enormous amount of clean hydroelectric power and navigation, there are also concerns about the relocation of people who have been or will be displaced by the rising waters; salutation that could limit the dam's useful life; loss of numerous valuable archaeological and cultural sites; and the adverse effects of increased pollution upon the regional ecosystem. There's always a advantage and disadvantage to things, everything in fact however the dam I personally think that it's really beneficial to the people as it really can let the people to have clean waters like us in Singapore the New water, and to control flood. As China is a big place disasters cannot be controlled just like the SiChuan disaster, it's better to prevent than to have it come and run over lives then we take precautions. The Dam itself actually started work at 1998, due to numerous debates and also arguments about the Dam itself, and will be completed in year 2014 which I hope it will be success to the China as they developed.
The dam has some points showing that they are environmental friendly, like having Direct reduction of air pollutant and greenhouse gas emission, Reduction of greenhouse gas due to navigation, Waste management to solve the waste problems.
However, there were cultural problems brought up when building the Dam, Cultural and historical relics are being moved to higher ground as they are discovered but the flooding of the Gorge will undoubtedly cover some undiscovered relics. Some other sites cannot be moved because of their location, size or design. For example
the hanging coffins site high in the Shen Nong Gorge is inherently part of the sheer cliffs themselves. Until now, the Dam still has unsolved questions and hope that when the Dam is built finish it would help to solve all the problems even if when there's protesters voicing out that the Three Gorges was a mistake to build however, I'm standing on a neutral stand as I had not know the end product of the Dam, therefore I don't judge things so fast. Just hope that it turn out fine.
After the visit, had went to a restaurant within the three gorges itself for last dinner on land before we board the boat. I guessed i ate too much and ended up having sort of nauseous in the end.((:
The boat wasn't much of complaint as it was what I was given, therefore i accept it just like other everything that was given to me. The boat started moving at around 11pm, everyone was shouting "is the cruise moving,is it". I guessed some were just impatient as they dint want to waste time waiting. ((: The air was cold at the point of time, I stayed on the deck with some friends to enjoy the wind. The cold wind cleared my mind, I was thankful then for such beauty scenery, I wished I slept on the deck. The cold and refreshing wind just blew a day off.
13sep08
Radio on the boat sounded at 6am, had breakfast at 630am. The boat swayed more vigorous that morning, appetite lost at that point of time. around 7 am, transferred to another boat for Cruise ride. The Yangtze river was sometimes referred to as the Golden Waterway, sat the ride and toured around the place. The most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River gorges: Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge, collectively known as Sanxia三峡, was the name given to the three gorges.
The river originates in a glacier lying on the west of Geladandong mountain in the Dangla Mountain Range on the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau. It runs through the eastern part of Qinghai, turning southward down a deep valley at the border of Sichuan and Tibet to reach Yunnan. I personally think that the 三峡 is unique place as there were many mountains covering the area and also the beautiful scenery captures all tourists eyesight and couldn't just stop taking photos on the way.I myself couldn't resist taking pictures during the trip, those scenery just makes me feel so good. I'm a environmental friendly person therefore I treasure when i saw such scenery. I could hardly see such natural beauty around the world now cause mostly were taken up by building, the breeze was colling and calms one spirit down. I was absolutely enjoying in the scenery and midst of wind, if there was a cup of green tea it would be best situation I'll be in. Had stopped at this place calles Shennong stream, sat s small sampan there to have a fell of the local culture there. The banks of the Shen Nong Stream have been inhabited since at least the Han Dynasty; the primary ethnic group of the river valley has been the Thuja people. Early history of settlement in the Shen Nong Gorge is evinced by the hanging coffins stowed in clefts on the high vertical limestone clefts; it is a puzzle to modern man as to how the heavy coffins were stowed on such steep, ostensibly inaccessible places. The coffins themselves were typically carved from a single layer section of a tree trunk, which was approximately 90 centimeters in diameter; although the lid section was split off to be separate. Some of these coffins can be seen presently from canoes traveling along the Shen Nong Stream. Over there had sat something called sampan, controlled by boat trackers going towards the upstream was treacherous. At one point the boatmen got to get down and pulled the boat for almost 1 km, I truly admire their strength to pull the ten of us who was on that sampan. Their name is called huo ji, in Chinese it means friends. Five controlled the sampan, one controlling direction, four control the rafting to make the sampan move all of them were relatives on the sampan, they shared money to build the sampan, it cost around s$1.2k to build one sampan cause it uses best wood to make it and to be able to carry so many passengers . I'm honoured that the huo ji they rowed the sampan super fast that it overtake many other sampans who went faster than us. ((: the people there just earns their own living using hard work and not by just investing onto something, they really taste the fruits of their labour. I totally think that their hardship cannot be compared to what I've experienced before like go mountain camping all those, imagine if i were to do all the work everyday i think I'll whine like nobody's business.
They really take every hardship into their own work, even though its hard work still they enjoyed. I was so glad that the culture wasn't lost cause seeing such scene sure to make a person's point of view change much. I really hope that this culture will remain and be passed down generations to generations. In future if i were to have a chance, i would like to bring my next generations and feel the culture.
the sampan ride, it was journey back to the boat and rest. It wad only 11am then, omg.
Around 7pm, after the dinner and so much of resting, it was time for excursion again! Stopped at Baidi Temple, Baidicheng is a small temple just like memorial of Three Kingdom period, and ruins of local culture. Yes, it has a good scenery surrounded by and the spectacular view of Kuimen. The stairs to the temple itself made me climbed till breathless, I just kept exercising always which was good thing keeping myself not to grow fat.((:
The attractive scene is Tuogu Tang (Entrusting Son's Hall), Liu Bei, failed in the battle with the Wu Kingdom at Baidi City and became ill and entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang before closing his eyes. Mingliang Palace is where the statue of Gongsun Shu was once sacrificed by the people. In the Ming Dynasty, the stature was replaced by those of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhangfei and Zhuge Liang. Observing Stars Pavilion (Guanxing Ting), It is the place where Zhuge Liang observed the stars and developed the tactic of using arms.
After the trip, had head back to boat around 9pm. since it was last night on the boat therefore had some fun on the boat with ME students and also our own ICTians. Nevertheless, the trip of three gorges was fruitful and also it made me have a wide scope of the world and also change my attitude towards things and my thinking to certain items. ((:
14Sep08
the day we took another 5 hour journey back to hostel, I think the boat swayed too vigorously and side effect was i was sick. Guessed was motion sickness, ate too full i guess. I think that all's hardship was worth as to capture the best scenery and also i felt what i always wanted to feel the culture of the people here. Once again, i got some of my questions answered at the moment, i hope that all my doubts would be clear before i leave the place. ((:
Had continued my assignment now. tata.
