Gezhouba Dam, Dam in Yichang, Hubei, China

Gezhouba Dam is a large run-of-the-river dam on the Yangtze River in Yichang, Hubei. It spans the river with a concrete wall, spillway gates, ship locks, and two power stations, and its crest carries gate structures with blue glass panels and a blue railing.

Construction of the dam began in late 1970 and was completed in 1988, making it the first large water control project on the main course of the Yangtze. Over the years, it has been upgraded with additional generating units and now plays a key role in regulating water flow for the Three Gorges project upstream.

The name Gezhouba comes from a sandbar island that once split the river and was called Gezhou; boatmen changed the name to a more auspicious sound. Today, the dam is a everyday landmark for people in Yichang, and its crest, with its blue railing and gate towers, is a familiar sight along the river.

The dam lies a few kilometers upstream from central Yichang, and you can reach the area by road; the site is best viewed from the riverbanks or from a boat on the water. Walking along the accessible paths gives you a clear sense of the dam's size, but some sections are closed to the public, so follow local signs.

The dam's second navigation lock was among the largest in the world when it was built, with a chamber long enough to hold several football fields. Its construction is also linked to the decline of the Chinese paddlefish, a species that has not been seen in the wild for many years.