But the city suffered calamity after the Japanese devastated it in 1937. Destruction, massacre, and torture desecrated this ancient city, ultimately claiming 300,000 civilian lives.

But it is the newly built Three Gorges Dam, the largest electricity-generating facility in the world, that now attracts international attention to the river.

The dam is the biggest infrastructure project undertaken in China since the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The $24 billion dam spans nearly 2 miles across, and it generates 4 percent of China's total power output.

Traditionally the Yellow River civilization of the Han culture has received the most attention in the research of ancient Chinese history. However, recently the Ba and Chu cultures of the Yangtze River have caught the interest of archaeologists and historians. New archaeological work to better understand these cultures has begun in recent years.

(China Daily July 14, 2008)