2010-06-20 China - cruising the Yangtze River

When we awoke on 20 June, the ship was already sailing down the Yangtze River. The sky was the same warm and humid, with overcast haze/fog/smog that we've seen every day so far; apparently it is the usual weather pattern three-fourths of the year. We were served a lavish breakfast buffet, all kinds of breakfast foods of all nationalities.

Afterward we had the embarkation briefing where we learned about the ship's facilities in detail. Then we had an informative lecture on the Yangtze River: history from 3,000 years ago, the several names it has been given, why it is known now as the Yangtze, its length, and other information.

In the afternoon we arrived at new Fengdu, a relocated city. When the Three Gorges Dam was constructed, the depth of the Yangtze has increased by about 300 feet so far, inundating old Fengdu. I must say, it doesn't look new. It seems to be run-down and messy, though the relocated inhabitants say it is much better than their previous city. That may be the official line the local guides are instructed to say. They seemed to speak of the old city with fond nostalgia. We heard more than 1.2 million people were relocated to a higher elevation along the Yangtze due to the rise. About 40 percent of the $25 billion cost of the dam was relocation expense, 30 percent cost of the dam construction. Anyway, we were not particularly impressed with Fengdu.

That evening on the ship we had a welcome champagne toast and a concert of traditional Chinese music performed on traditional instruments. Than came a delicious Chinese food banquet of many different dishes skillfully prepared. After dinner there was a fashion show demonstrating the costumes of the various ethnic minorities of China. It was very colorful and interesting.