Ｂｅｌｇｉａｎ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓ ａｔ Ｔｈｒｅｅ Ｇｏｒｇｅｓ

Slowly， evening glow spread over the mountain city Chongqing; silver light twinkling on the surface of the Yangtze River.

Queen Victoria， the magnificent pleasure-boat， berthed quietly at Chaotianmen wharf. From its boarding file came two Belgians: Mr. George Bauvin， president of the International Forum of Decision Makers on Youth School Exchange (IFDMYE) and his wife， both in high spirits. They paid a visit to China at the invitation of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). After finishing talks about cooperation and exchanges with Capital University of Medical Sciences， they came to Chongqing and started their three-night-and-four-day journey on the Yangtze.

Mr. Bauvin said， to people of Belgium and other western countries， the Three Gorges on the Yangtze is China’s most famous tourist site besides the Great Wall in Beijing and the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an. Innumerable people yearn to visit the Three Gorges.

At nine o’clock in the evening， after a hoot， the boat weighed anchor. Passengers were invited to a bar on the fourth floor to attend a meeting. A detailed introduction about the service facility， the staffers， the traveling schedule and safety， was given by a representative of the foreign owner of the boat in fluent English， German and French. Enjoying the self-concocted beverage of the boat， passengers both from China and abroad chatted happily， like a reunion of old friends.

The next day， at half past seven， Doctor Liu began to teach the passengers taiji. Joining others， Mr. Bauvin learned it attentively. His movements were almost exact which showed his quick comprehension of oriental culture.

At 10:15， the Queen Victoria arrived at Wanzhou. Everyone went sightseeing ashore. A part of Wanzhou City is below the red line， which means one third of the city will be inundated after 2009. The part within everyone’s view had nearly finished its dismantling and resettlement project， leaving only some trucks still working there. In contrast， in the part above the red line there was a bustling scene. Green terraced fields on the mountain slop behind could be seen from between high buildings. On both sides of the street we saw fruit hawkers and porters busy with their business. The typical local shoeblacks attracted many foreign visitors. Visits to the grotesque stone exhibition and the hanging coffin exhibition satisfied our curiosity.

When all passengers were back， Queen Victoria continued its voyage downstream.

At 14:00， a guide gave a briefing on the Yangtze River and the Three Gorges Dam to the passengers in the bar.

At 16:00， Doctor Liu explained and then demonstrated traditional Chinese treatment of an ailment in English.

At 18:15， everyone was invited to a welcoming cocktail party hosted by the captain of the boat.

At 20:00， after supper， passengers gathered together to watch a fashion show on the boat. With China’s gorgeous dresses of both ancient and modern style， and the charming body language of the performers， who were young staffers of the boat， the day ended in an atmosphere of relaxation and enjoyment.

At dawn of the third day， Baidicheng appeared on the left side of the boat， indicating that the Three Gorges was nearby. In a few minutes the Qutang Gorge jumped into our view. It is 8 kilometres’ long and took the boat 20 minutes to pass through. Mr. Bauvin was busy filming the scenes with his video camera and frequently exchanged a few words with friends around him.

At half past eight， the boat arrived at Wushan Mountain. All the passengers went on board a small boat to visit the Lesser Three Gorges of the Daning River. Clear water， picturesque mountains with monkeys jumping and playing among the trees， the river was just what the great poet Li Bai had described in his poem. Through the mist were seen fields with crops and groups of houses， which apparently were newly built by the government for the resettlers who were evacuated from the inundated parts of the Yangtze River. By the bank of the river， buffaloes and ducks were enjoying themselves in the shallow water.

On the bank， farmers waved their hands to greet us. Entering the Lesser Three Gorges， our guide， moved by the familiar sights， sang a folk song. Her melodious voice reverberated among the gorges. Everyone beat time for her with their hands.

At noon， passengers returned to Queen Victoria. At 13:00， the boat entered the Wuxia Gorge. Boards with the number of 143m or 175m to indicate the depth of the water were frequently seen on both banks of the river. Our guide told us that the water level of this part of the Yangtze had risen dozens of metres after the completion of the first phase of the Three Gorges Dam project. In the Wuxia Gorge， the water level had risen to 143 metres. 175 metres is the height that it will reach after the completion of the whole project in 2009. Suddenly， the broadcast directed everyone’s eyes to the left side of the boat. It was the Goddess Peak appearing on the top of the mountains. Although the water level had risen dozens of metres， it had no effect at all on the beauty of the Goddess Peak， which stood among other mountain peaks all several hundred metres high.

At half past sixteen， we entered the Xiling Gorge， which once was notorious for its dangerous rapids and hidden shoals. In the past， it was very difficult for boats to get through. Now， all the dangers have gone. When boats meet there， they just greet each other by sounding their sirens， there is no need any more for them to slow down and make way for each other.

At half past eighteen， Queen Victoria arrived at the Three Gorges Dam and spent more than three hours for passing through the five-level ship locks. Mr.Bauvin stayed on the deck all the time. It seemed that he wanted to have an unforgettable impression of this world-famous water conservancy project. He returned to his cabin pretty late.

In the morning of the 4th day， passengers left the boat to see the Three Gorges Dam on the Zhongbao Island. After taking some photos with the monument of the project， we visited the exhibition hall and learned the general situation of the dam in terms of flood control， power generation， preservation of the cultural relics， ecosystem sustainability， resettlement of local residents， etc.

After passengers came back to the boat， we resumed our voyage and entered the eastern section of the Xiling Gorge.

The last dinner on the boat was served at noon. In a mood of joy， Mr. Bauvin asked for a bottle of wine and said happily: “Today is my 55th birthday. It is unforgettable to me to spend this day at the Three Gorges. Not only do I feel Chinese people’s kindness again， but I also enjoy the scenery and legends along the Yangtze. I have been overwhelmed by the imposing Three Gorges Dam. My experience in the past four days is beyond what I have expected. When I return home， I will hold a reception to show to my friends the real Three Gorges of China.”

Leaving the Three Gorges， with the favorable wind， the pleasure-boat sailed downstream pretty fast. It passed the Gezhou Dam while everyone was talking cheerfully. Suddenly， the surface of the Yangtze expanded enormously. The fertile Hanjiang Plain jumped into our view. Soon， the red sign of Yichang City’s passenger wharf was in sight. With a doubletake， we saw comrades from the Hubei Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries who were waving towards us ashore， weren’t they?