Three Gorges Dam - World’s Largest Hydropower Project & Top Yangtze Attraction

Among these, the hub project is the main attraction of the Three Gorges Dam site, showcasing its engineering marvels to visitors. The hub project consists of 3 major components: the water-blocking and flood-discharging structures, the hydropower generation facilities, and the navigation structures.

The river-blocking dam is the well-known Three Gorges Dam, which is a concrete gravity dam. The dam axis is 2,309.47 meters long, with a crest elevation of 185 meters and a maximum height of 181 meters. It is primarily composed of the flood-discharge section, the powerhouse sections on the left and right banks, and the non-overflow sections. The normal water storage level of the reservoir is 175 meters, with a corresponding storage capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters. During the flood season, the flood control restriction level is 145 meters, and the flood control storage capacity is 22.15 billion cubic meters.

The navigation structures consist of Five-stage Ship Locks and a vertical Ship Lift. The Five-stage Ship Locks are a double-line, five-stage continuous system, making them the largest in scale, with the most stages, the greatest total drop, the largest single-stage drop, and the most complex technology of any inland locks in the world. The main structure is 1,621 meters long. Each lock chamber measures 280 meters in length, 34 meters in width, and has a minimum water depth of 5 meters. Its volume is equivalent to 22 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The annual one-way design capacity is 50 million tons. It’s usually takes about 3-4 hours for a ship to pass through the ship lock.

The Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift is the largest in scale and has the highest technical level and construction difficulty of any ship lift in the world. It is also the first rack-and-pinion climbing ship lift in China. The ship chamber, when filled with water, has a total weight of 15,500 tons. Its effective dimensions are 120 meters in length, 18 meters in width, and 3.5 meters in water depth. The maximum lifting height is 113 meters, and it allows vessels weighing up to 3,000 tons to pass through. The elevator cuts down the time it takes to pass the dam to around 40 minutes compared to the 4 hours it takes to pass via the Five-stage Ship Lock.

1. Admire the largest dam from various perspectives;
2. Explore the historical background, technological innovations, and social benefits of the Three Gorges Project through exhibitions and museums in the region;
3. Experience the remarkable navigation structures, for instance, the ship lift and ship lock.
   (Notice: 1. All luxury cruises on the Three Gorges route offer the experience of the ship lift. Some vessels include this experience in their package price, while others do not and require an additional fee. Currently, the Yangzi Explorer and Yangtze 1 are the only two luxury cruise ships that can pass through the ship lift directly. Other cruise ships need to transfer passengers to smaller sightseeing boats to experience the ship lift. 2. Passing through the five-tier ship lock is included for ships on the long-haul Yangtze River route. If you have plenty of time and enjoy cruising, we recommend the 11- to 12-day in-depth cruise between Chongqing and Shanghai.)

The Three Gorges Project Museum, known as the world’s largest hydropower project-themed museum, about 1 kilometer downstream from the Three Gorges Dam. The museum officially opened in August 2022.

The museum covers an area of 150,000 square meters. Its main building is designed in the shape of the four-sided triangular body used in the river cutoff during the dam’s construction. The museum consists of 3 main exhibition halls — the Three Gorges Hall, the Project Hall, and the Hydropower Hall — as well as specialized exhibition areas such as the Curiosity Hydropower Research and Study Center and the Professional Exchange Center.

Tan Zi Ling Park

With 262.48 meters above sea level, Tan Zi Ling Park is the first spot opened to tourists in 1997. As the dam construction survey point, it shares the best location to see panoramic views of the Three Gorges project. Here you can not only able to enjoy the powerful& splendid Three Gorges Dam, but also watch the precipice of "Yangtze River gorge IV" Two-way lock (the five stages ship locks), as well as spectacular fountains, beautiful waterfalls, meandering streams, green lawn throughout the meantime.

185 Park Zone

Located in the left side of the top dam road, the 185 Park Zone has the same sea level of the dam, so it was called “185 Park”. Standing at the platform, you can feel the height of the dam and view the surface of water in the impounding reservoir. Looking at the foot of the magnificent, distant and calm river, you will be astonished by the static and dynamic beauty rhyming each other.

River Closure Memorial Park

Situated in the left side of the dam with 800 meters lower, River Closure Memorial Park is composed by performances square, display halls, slide shows and more scenic sites. Facing the dam and mountains behind, Memorial Park is the best place to taking photos with the dam, which can’t miss out.

In 2025, all our cruise ships offer visits to the Three Gorges Dam.

• The 4-5 day classic Three Gorges itineraries (Chongqing-Yichang) typically include a tour of the Three Gorges Dam and an opportunity to experience the ship lift.
  (Notice: Most cruise ships charge an extra fee of approximately CNY 300 per person for the ship lift experience, with the exception of the Yangtze 1 and the Yangzi Explorer, which can navigate through the ship lift directly without the need to transfer to a sightseeing vessel.)
• For the 10-12 day long-line luxury cruises along the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam tour and the experience of the Five-stage Ship Locks are generally included (this applies to the Century Legend’s long-line route and the special itinerary of the Yangtze 2).

Best way to visit the Three Gorges Dam is by taking a Yangtze River cruise. All Yangtze cruise companies arranged shore excursions to visit the dam. However if you don’t have enough time to enjoy the splendid view of the Three Gorges but want to visit the dam site. You can take a flight or train to get to Yichang first, and then transfer from Yichang downtown to the Three Gorges Dam Site by car, taxi or bus.

► Learn more about how to get to Yichang, please visit Yichang Transportation Guide in 2025 | How to Get to & around China Yichang.

By Private Car - Most Recommended Way of Travel

The most comfortable and convinient way to get to the dam site from airport, railway station or city center is by booking a private car service in advance.

We www.yangtze-river-cruises.com offers convenient private car service. No matter you are going to travel from Yichang Airport to Yichang downtown for accommodation or to Three Gorges Dam Site for sightseeing, or to Maoping port to catch your cruise ship, we can help you make a travel as smooth and hassle-free as possible. Once you booking such a service, your English-speaking tour guide will be waiting for you at the airport or railway station, with a sign with your name on it holding in his/her hands. Your local driver will escort you directly to your destination in convenient. Along the way, your guide can also give you a brief introduction of Yichang city and share some insider tips. If you need such a service, please feel free to send us your group size, traveling date and time for enquiry.

Top Yichang Tours & Nearby:

>> 6 Days Chongqing, Yangtze River & Zhangjiajie Exciting Tour

>> 5 Days Yichang Tour with Yangtze Cruise Experience (Yichang / Yangtze River Cruise)

For passengers traveling by cruise ship, there is no need to worry about transportation within the scenic area, as the cruise company will make arrangements. Currently, the cruise companies offer two main routes for visiting the Three Gorges Dam scenic area:

• One route includes a visit to Tanzi Ridge and the 815 Platform. For this route, an additional fee of CNY 20/pp is required for a section of the sightseeing bus journey.
• The other route includes a visit to the Three Gorges Dam Project Museum and the River Closure Memorial Park.

Independent travlers to the Three Gorges Dam: Three Gorges Dam Site covers a total area of 15.28 square kilometers, therefore tourists are recommended to tour around the site by taking the sightseeing buses. Starting from the Tourist Transfer Center (游客换乘中心), tourists can take sightseeing buses to tour the whole dam site. The price of sightseeing bus is CNY 35 (might be change according to the real situation). The sightseeing bus will take you to 3 scenic spots including Tanzi Ling Park, 185 Park Zone and Memorial Park (Line B cannot reach Memorial Park), and the sightseeing buses run every 20 minutes.

>> Check more photos of Three Gorges Dam