It is learned on December 10thatsince the Three Gorges Dam Tourist Area waived admission chargesfor domestic tourists on September 25, 2014, it hasreceived over 15 million visitorsaltogether.

　　It is understood thatthe tourist area was officially open to the public in 1997 and was listed in the first national 5A-level tourist attractions in 2007.It exhibitsengineering culture and water conservancy culture in an all-round way, consisting ofparks like the Tanziling Park, 185 Park and the River Closure Memorial Park. Tanziling Parkgot itsnamebecausetheviewing platform on top resembles an inverted jar. It wasinitially a survey site for dam construction,butis now the best place to have an overall view of the Three Gorges Project. The 185 Observation Deck is so calledbecause it is of the same altitude of 185 meters as the dam crest. The Three Gorges Closure Memorial Park, the first theme parkof water conservancy project in China, has as itstheme the river closure in theproject, integrating sightseeing, science popularization and leisure. As the poem goes, “On the west an enormous rocky wall will rise,In upper Yangtse to hold back the torrents of rain,From the forever cloud-covered Wu-Shan Mountain.The steep, high cliffs will surround a great useful lake.” The Three Gorges has long since been famous for its magnificent scenery. Visitors can directly take sightseeing cruises to enjoy the magnificent view on eitherof the banks, ortake a break at the Three Gorges Book House reading and listening to the redguide.

　　“It turns out that the Three Gorges Dam has created so many ‘tops of the world’.” Gan Zihao, who came to participate in the research travel, said excitedly. The Three Gorges Dam Research Base is one of the first national demonstration bases for research and study tourism announced by the former National Tourism Administration. Herewiththe achievement of the glorious history of the nation's centuries-old dream as its main focus, the basehas developedcustomized curriculum suitable for primary and school students. According to statistics, the base has received a total of about 480 batches of more than 100,000 students from all over the country for research travel activities since 2017.

　　On December 9, in the Sanxiarenjia Scenic Area, near the downstream of the Three Gorges Dam, the staff members are greeting visitors at various attractions early in the morning to guide them to scan the registration code, take body temperature and then enter the park sequentially. Since the exemption of tickets for the scenic spots in 2014, the Three Gorges Dam Tourist Area attractsvisitors from all over the country through a series of activities such as “theme tours” and “research travels”, and the number of visitors of has been soared eachyear.

　　It is reported that to relieve the pressure on accommodating guests of the dam area and promote the development of the local economy through passenger flowspill-over effect, the Three Gorges Group and the Yichang Municipal Government launched in the first half of last year the master plancompilation of Three Gorges Project“One-District-Four-Town” Tourism, and the relocation site selectionand design of the Three Gorges Dam Visitor Interchange Center. The "One District" here means the Three Gorges Dam Tourism Area, while the "Four Towns" refer to Maoping Town in Zigui County, Sanduping Town, Le Tianxi Town and Tai Pingxi Town in Yiling District. After the implementation of this project, a travel and leisure resort area will be formed with the Three Gorges Dam as the core and the co-development of theThree Gorges Hub Management Area and the four neighbouring towns. (Reporter Xu Zifan)