Yichang almost became the capital of the province, preparing for the Three Gorges Province for over a year. Why was it stillborn?

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As is well known, Hainan Province was the latest province established in China, and was designated as an independent province of Guangdong in 1988. A few years ago, another province was also brewing, but after more than a year of brewing, it sadly miscarried. If it is established, the second province of our country will be born in the 1980s. This potential province is the Three Gorges Province. Why did the idea of establishing the Three Gorges Province end up stranded? The answer may have been buried behind the Three Gorges Water Control Project on the Yangtze River.

When it comes to the Yangtze River, the longest river in China, with an annual runoff of 960 billion cubic meters, 18 times that of the Yellow River, its water volume undoubtedly ranks first in the country. However, its frequent flooding has become a problem that has been troubling the middle and lower reaches of the region. Especially in the Three Gorges area, the narrow river channel and dense dangerous shoals have brought huge obstacles to ship navigation. The solution to this problem was proposed as early as the Republic of China period, and after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, various large-scale water conservancy projects were successively launched. The Three Gorges Water Control Project, as one of them, is even more large-scale and extremely complex.

After the departure of Soviet experts in 1961, the progress of the project was temporarily delayed. Nine years later, the Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project took the lead in starting construction, but the planning for the Three Gorges Project is still under intense pressure. Compared to the Gezhouba Dam, the Three Gorges Dam has a larger volume and a planned water storage level of up to 150 to 200 meters. This plan will inundate a large amount of land on both sides, involving a relocation population of over 700000 people. In response to the massive project of relocating the population, the central government proposes to establish a "Three Gorges Province" to coordinate planning, demolition, relocation, and personnel resettlement issues. Therefore, on February 8, 1985, the "Three Gorges Province Preparatory Group" was established, covering 30 counties in Fuling, Wanxian, and Yichang, with a total area of 84000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 17.6 million.

However, this rising "Three Gorges Province" has ushered in a century long discussion during the preparatory process. This discussion involves various aspects such as the safety of the Three Gorges Project, the effectiveness of waterway improvement, and the scope of relocation. For a moment, opposition surged, and criticism from different directions poured in. As one of them, Chongqing believes that a dam with a water level of 150 meters cannot guarantee the passage of a 10000 ton fleet to Chongqing, which is worrying about the improvement effect on the waterway. At the same time, due to the Three Gorges Province taking away some county towns in Hubei, the Hubei side also expressed dissatisfaction. Therefore, this major discussion has made the establishment of the Three Gorges Province increasingly difficult.

On May 8, 1986, the "Three Gorges Provincial Preparatory Group" was abolished and renamed as the Three Gorges Regional Economic Development Office, marking the miscarriage of the Three Gorges Province. But this great debate did not come to an end, and the six year long discussion finally came to an end on April 3, 1992. Under the vote of the National Assembly, the "Resolution on the Construction of the Three Gorges Project of the Yangtze River" was officially passed, and the Three Gorges Project has entered the implementation stage. The Three Gorges Dam is ultimately set to be 185 meters high, with a water storage level of 175 meters and a relocated population of over 1 million.

However, even if the project officially enters the implementation stage, problems still exist. The implementation of the Three Gorges Project and population relocation require overall coordination, so the central government has begun to promote the demonstration work of establishing a Chongqing municipality directly under the central government. Chongqing has a stable position in the eastern Sichuan region and was originally a planned city, with the upgrading to a municipality directly under the central government causing minimal disruption to the interests of all parties. On June 18, 1997, Chongqing municipality was officially established and took over the relay baton for the implementation of the Three Gorges Project. From preparation to abolition, the Three Gorges Province, as a product of synchronization with the Three Gorges Project, was ultimately replaced by the Chongqing municipality.

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