Introduction

The Chinese are now completing the construction of the world's largest dam at a site on the Yang-tze River called Three Gorges. The river and the dam are major elements in John Hersey's novel, A Single Pebble.

The Yang-Tze is the third-largest river in the world and the most famous river in China. The river has inspired China's poets for over 2000 years, including the great poets of the Tang Dynasty in the 8th century. The work of the most famous of these poets, Li Po, is an important element in A Single Pebble.

Guiding Question

Is the Three Gorges Dam good or bad for China?

Questions

1. What is the Yang-tze River? Where does it flow? How large is it? How important is the river to China today?
2. What is the Grand Canal and what is its history?
3. Who is Li Po?
4. What was the Music Bureau established in the Han Dynasty and revived during the Tang Dynasty?
5. What musical instruments were popular in the Tang Dynasty?
6. What famous Chinese paintings show scenes from the Three Gorges?
7. What is the Chinese junk? When was the junk designed?
8. What was the Star Raft in the fifteenth century? Who was Admiral Zheng Ho? (Cheng Ho)

Internet Resources

Yang-tze Three Gorges tour
Information on the Three Gorges Dam
General information on the Yang-tze River
Information on the Grand Canal
Hofstra University: Grand Canal System
Map of China's rivers
Biography of Li Po
More Biography of Li Po
Music Bureau of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Chinese Music
The History of Chinese Music
Chinese Art History Resources: Tang Dynasty
Introduction to Chinese musical instruments
"Epic of the Three Gorges"
Paintings of the Three Gorges
History of Chinese Junk Ships
Schooner Man: Chinese Junk

Activities

1. Make a diagram listing major cities on the Yang-tze River.
2. Create a chart identifying five causes and effects in the development of the Three Gorges Dam.
3. Draw a map showing the location of the Three Gorges Dam.
4. Research and describe dams on the Yang-tze.
5. Write a report explaining the danger of the dam to the environment.
6. Research Li Po and write a report on his life.
7. Imagine yourself living in the Tang Dyasty. Write a letter to Li Po.
8. Read any collection of Li Po's poetry.
9. Imagine yourself living in the Tang Dynasty and illustrate a scene you might witness there.
10. Find three primary sources describing Tang Dynasty poetry and report on one.
11. Design a chart depicting the sequence of events that led to the Three Gorges Dam project.
12. Imagine yourself as a newspaper correspondent sent to document the construction of the dam. Write a newspaper article describing the event.
13. Compare and contrast Three Gorges before and after dam construction.
14. Create a timeline sequencing the major events in the construction of the dam.
15. Identify the different points of view involved in the controversy in China about the dam.
16. Take the point of view of environmentalists who oppose the dam in China and defend your actions.
17. Make a chart that compares the ideas of the environmentalists with those of the people who support the dam.
18. Imagine yourself as a local citizen in China. Write a letter explaining the attitude of the local people who live on the Yang-tze River toward the dam.