Up the Yangtze

In 1994, China began its long-awaited construction of its largest hydro-electric station known as the Three Gorges Dam, which spans the Yangtze River. Today, the dam is a double-edged sword for China. It provides immense benefits for the economy and for most of its citizens. However, it also means the displacement and an end to a way of life for the two million people who reside along the river's edge, the area over which the dam will indefinitely flood. Among those being forced to relocate are the Yu family's poor and uneducated farmers. Their oldest daughter, Yu Shui, is sent by her family to work aboard one of the popular cruise-lines attracting mostly westerners who want to catch one last glimpse of the area before it is flooded. Also working for the cruise-line is Chen Bo Yu, the only son of a middle-class family. The documentary not only explores the social hierarchy of cruise-life; it also extends to a much broader issue. It tells a story of the people who are first-hand affected by the construction of the dam in contemporary China. – KL