Water Margin
Chong Qing to Yichang Yangtze River, China
The “Lesser Gorges”Anyhow the gorges were a splendour of fresh green jungle and rock closely surrounding us at all times. Packs of monkeys howled about the canopies, ancient looking, perilous, rope bridges scaled the river connecting the peaked roofs of hidden temples. On sand banks local traders sold wears and food to the greedy tourists from a menagerie of tents that seemed quite implausible that every night they would have to be packed away and sailed away. The sides of these gorges were significantly lower than those along the main body of the river and here there were no red scar signs lining the banks. Half way through the day it dawned on me that these splendid scenic valleys had to be affected when the flood gates were finally closed.
It would be not only the local communities that suffered but also the miles of ancient ecosystems lost forever below the water margin.
