Dangerous water route turned into a smooth waterway

Undated file photo shows ships sailing in the formerly dangerous Kongling Shoal on the Yangtze River in central China's Hubei Province. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei's Yichang City has turned at least 420-kilometer dangerous section of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River into a smooth waterway.

A cargo ship sails in the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River on April 20, 2006. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, has turned at least 420-kilometer dangerous section of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River into a smooth waterway.

Cargo ships pass the lock chamber of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, on April 18, 2006. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei's Yichang City has turned at least 420-kilometer dangerous section of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River into a smooth waterway.

Tourists view a scene of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River May 2, 2006. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, has turned at least 420-kilometer dangerous section of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River into a smooth waterway.