Isabella Bird, The Yangtze Valley and Beyond, reprint ed., with an introduction by Pat Barr (Beacon Press, 1985). Originally published by J. Murray, London, 1899. Bird was one of the most intrepid of Victorian “lady explorers” (the term of the time); she was in her 60s when she made this extremely arduous trip by native boat and overland trails.

Judy Bonavia and William Hurst, The Yangtze River, 4th ed. (Hong Kong: Passport Books, 1997). A great guidebook — text, pictures, information on specific sites — in a handy pocket-size format.

Deirdre Chetham, Before the Deluge: The Vanishing World of the Yangtze’s Three Gorges (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002). A historical survey of the Three-Gorges stretch of the Yangtze, leading up to the decision to build the dam, and the early stages of construction and relocation.

Elizabeth C. Economy, The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China’s Future (Cornell University, 2004). A general survey — the treatment and conclusions are both black and bleak.

John Hersey, A Single Pebble (Vintage, 1989). A moving novella about a young American engineer (whose firm is interested in damming the river) journeying upriver through the Three Gorges during the 1920s. His experiences on the river transform forever his view of China, the Chinese people, and of himself. Reading level, grades 9–12.

Peter Hessler, River Town (New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 2001). Hessler was an English teacher in Fuling — a small city on the Yangtze downstream from Chongqing — for two years (1996–1998) with the Peace Corps. From this vantage point, he was able to observe, report, and participate in the daily life of contemporary China. In River Town, Hessler lets China be its complex and contradictory self, without trying to impart a particular vision or spin.

Madeleine Lynn (ed.), Yangtze River: The Wildest, Wickedest River on Earth (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1997). An anthology of writings about the Yangtze from all eras, with commentary by the editor. Many of them are translations from Chinese (poems, essays, extracts from novels).

Ma Jun, China’s Water Crisis (Eastbridge, 2004). Ma Jun is one of China’s best-known environmental writers, generally focusing on water issues. This book is broader than rivers alone, but they figure very prominently. An appendix contains a useful variety of maps and charts of China’s major river systems, drainage basins, lakes, etc.

Richard McKenna, The Sand Pebbles (New York: Harper and Row, 1962). A novel about U.S. sailors on a Yangtze River gunboat from 1926–1927, when revolution was engulfing China. The interweaving of individual lives with a larger history — which McKenna worked hard and successfully to get right — is fascinating. McKenna was himself a sailor (a chief petty officer) a few years after the events here recounted. The novel was later made into a film in 1966 (also recommended) with Steve McQueen and Candice Bergen. Appropriate for grades 9–12.

Richard McKenna, “The Fiction of History,” a reflection by McKenna on the writing of the novel The Sand Pebbles and its relationship to actual history. In a modest way, he sketches a theory of the relationship between fact and feeling, reality and myth. It is best read in conjunction with the novel or the film.

Andrew C. Mertha, China’s Water Warriors: Citizen Action and Policy Change (Cornell University Press, 2008). Recounting and assessing popular opposition to dam construction and population relocation, mainly through three case studies: the Pubugou Dam on the Dadu River, where popular resistance failed; the Zipinggu Dam project on the Min River near Dujiangyan, where opposition succeeded; and the program of dam construction on the Salween River in Yunnan, which (at the time of writing) was in an undecided, stalemated status. More recently, though, the Salween River dams project has been restarted and is moving forward.

Lyman P. Van Slyke, Yangtze: Nature, History and the River (Stanford: Portable Stanford Series, 1988). Reprint version. A collection of essays on nature and environment, history, people and commerce, culture and literature — all oriented toward the Yangtze River. The chapter dealing with the Three Gorges Dam and the South-to-North water transfer project has been overtaken by later events, but the background remains valid.

Simon Winchester, The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time (New York: Henry Holt, 1996). A travelogue by a fluent and talented writer.

The principal authors of the material in this website are Rylan Sekiguchi and Waka Takahashi Brown, Curriculum Specialists, Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), Stanford University. Johanna Wee, Instructional Technology Resource Specialist, SPICE, FSI, Stanford University, coordinated and helped design technical aspects of the website.

We are very grateful to our advisor for this project, Professor Emeritus Lyman P. Van Slyke, Department of History, Stanford University. His guidance and direction proved invaluable. The development of this website would not have been possible without his support.

The many photographs, maps, and other images are courtesy of individuals and organizations that have made their materials available to us through either Creative Commons licenses or special permissions agreements. Many thanks to Ancil Nance, 1986 Sino-USA Upper Yangtze River Expedition member, for greatly enriching this unit with his images. Much gratitude is extended to Michael Zhao, Managing Editor/Producer, China Green | Asia Society, who graciously granted permission for SPICE to use the videos on the Contemporary Issues page. Credits appear throughout the site where applicable.

Throughout the development of this website, we received invaluable guidance and support from the SPICE staff, including Naomi Funahashi, Annie Lim, Jonas Edman, and Sabrina Ishimatsu. Special thanks are owed to Dr. Gary Mukai, Director, SPICE, who provided us with guidance, advice, and countless words of encouragement.

Finally, thank you to our technical collaborators: Mapping Specialists, Fitchburg, WI, for designing the maps that appear on the website; and David Cohn, Oakland, CA, for creating the website.