Great Wall across the Yangtze

Narrated by Martin Sheen this documentary discusses the social and environmental issues associated with the damming of the Yangtze river in China as part of the Chinese Government’s hydro-electric scheme. One and a half million people are to be relocated and entire cities, ancient sites, archaelogical digs and the renowned three gorges will be submerged. This program traces the history of the river and its social, cultural, artistic and mythical significance in China, with a discussion of the introduction of the scheme by Sun Yat Sen and its promotion through every Chinese leader since that time as a viable solution to China’s pressing energy needs. The 1998 floods which destroyed the work on the dam since 1994 are outlined, with a focus on the history of the energy needs that brought about the original scheme and the multiplicity of motivations behind the choice of the dam, including the political, as opposed to other possible solutions. Interviews with residents involved in the relocation plans, Chinese politicians and academics, as well as archeologists, and environmental scientists offer a detailed insight into the social, historical and environmental consequences of the project. The engineering of the dam and predictions associated with this along with the problems occuring with the running of the project are also discussed with a view to the possible future success or otherwise of the scheme and a questioning of the worth of the risks it takes with the Chinese people, historical sites and artefacts and the environment.