(September 1, 2002) ‘Construction of the main dams [at Tiger Leaping Gorge] is still scheduled to start in 2008 and the hydro-power plant is due to begin generating electricity in 2015.’

(excerpt)

Older people living near Tiger Leaping Gorge in south-western China say they can remember days when tigers still nimbly jumped over the foaming white water rapids, pausing on rocks as the Yangtze River roared past. No tigers have been seen near the 2,500-metre-deep gorge since the 1950s, and there may be a touch of the tall tale about the leaping big cat yarn, but there is no denying that Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the most spectacular natural wonders in China. Deeper than the Grand Canyon, the river cuts its way through the rock against the backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which towers 3,000 metres above it. But soon this may all be under water. There are plans to dam this upper section of the Yangtze, known locally as the Jintao River, and flood Tiger Leaping Gorge as part of the attempts to meet China’s burgeoning energy needs. Farmer Xie Liangping (59), from nearby Wuzhu village, says that more than 100,000 villagers and farmers will be displaced by the project, and he is trying to save his beloved home.

The Irish Times, September 1, 2002