(January 30, 2006) A senior Chinese official says cracks have appeared in the controversial Three Gorges hydroelectric dam being built on the Yangtze river.

(May 13, 2002) Engineers on the Three Gorges Dam are working to fix cracks which have appeared in some parts of the wall, the deputy chief of the project said.

(April 17, 2002) Qian Zhengying, head of the Three Gorges project quality-control inspection group, spoke to Three Gorges Project Corp. officials at the dam site on April 8, 2002. Her remarks, published by the Three Gorges Project Daily (Sanxia gongcheng bao) on April 11, are translated below. Ms. Qian is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, vice-chairwoman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and a former minister of water resources and electric power.

(April 11, 2002) Engineers must not sacrifice quality for expediency in building the Three Gorges Dam, a senior government adviser has warned.

(April 2, 2002) Small cracks in the Three Gorges dam discovered in 1999 have multiplied and grown. Construction officials say that although they regret not having taken the problem seriously at first, it is now being fixed.

(April 3, 2000) Pan, academician of both Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of the experts panel for the Three Gorges project revealed that some cracks have been detected on the surface of the northern-bank dam section, and they have been treated properly.

(December 28, 1998) A leader of China Yangtze Three Gorges Project Development Corp (CTGPC) admits that defects have been reported in the dam construction, reports China Daily.