CHINA: Clifford Coonan reports from China's Yunnan province, where large numbers of people will lose their land and their homes if a plan to construct a huge dam goes ahead
Older people living near Tiger Leaping Gorge in south-western China say they can remember days when tigers still nimbly jumped over the foaming white water rapids, pausing on rocks as the Yangtze River roared past.
No tigers have been seen near the 2,500-metre-deep gorge since the 1950s, and there may be a touch of the tall tale about the leaping big cat yarn, but there is no denying that Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the most spectacular natural wonders in China.
Deeper than the Grand Canyon, the river cuts its way through the rock against the backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which towers 3,000 metres above it.
But soon this may all be under water. There are plans to dam this upper section of the Yangtze, known locally as the Jintao River, and flood Tiger Leaping Gorge as part of the attempts to meet China's burgeoning energy needs.
Farmer Xie Liangping (59), from nearby Wuzhu village, says that more than 100,000 villagers and farmers will be displaced by the project, and he is trying to save his beloved home.
"This area is very rich with grass, trees and herbs. The air is better than anywhere and the water is cleaner," said Mr Xie, a plain-talking, energetic figure.
The project has been proposed by the Huaneng Power Corporation, China's largest independent power producer, in conjunction with the Yunnan state government.
It involves two big dams, one of them creating a long reservoir some 300 metres deep, which will turn this upstream section of the mighty Yangtze into a stagnant lake.
"We heard about it on the radio, that they were going to redirect the water. We decided to find out what was going on and realised we had to take action," said Mr Xie.
"We were very worried and talked about it a lot. The villagers sent a letter to government and village officials and complained to the authorities in Shangri-La and Diqing state. We have messengers going from village to village in the area and we have also had a poster campaign. And now we are drafting a letter to send to the state council," said Mr Xie.
The water will cover more than just farmland and small businesses if the dam project goes ahead. The area is home to at least 10 different ethnic minorities, including Tibetans, Bai, Li and Naxi people, ancient cultures with strongly-defined traditions, all of whom are in danger of being washed away in the rising waters.
"Culture and heritage is another important aspect. The people are very natural and simple here. This place has many nationalities, all living together harmoniously," said Mr Xie.
The project will require an investment of more than €1 billion and some of China's biggest power producers are involved.
The Tiger Leaping Gorge project is part of a broader plan to dam some of the biggest rivers in south-western China, including the massive Three Gorges Dam, 1,450 km downriver, where 26 generators are set to supply electricity to large areas of the region.
The projects, on paper at least, are part of the Beijing government's attempts to develop renewable energy to ease China's over-reliance on heavily-polluting oil and on coal-fired power plants.
Well over 70 per cent of the electricity supply in China currently comes from coal-fired power stations and only 15 per cent from hydro-electric plants.
The projects have not gone unopposed and the government's environmental watchdog, the state environmental protection administration, has registered its disapproval.
Earlier this year, the state council suspended the construction of dozens of hydro-electric power stations for failure to meet environmental protection requirements.
Green activists, emboldened by their success in delaying the damming of the Nu River, are trying to emulate this success in Tiger Leaping Gorge. The gorge lies within a UNESCO heritage area, which could help their cause.
But Mr Xie and many other environmentalists believe that the opponents of the plan are facing a tough battle. Construction of the main dams is still scheduled to start in 2008 and the hydro-power plant is due to begin generating electricity in 2015. Even though no environmental impact study has been completed and no final approval has been granted, work has already begun, with engineers drilling test bores and construction workers blasting sections of rock along the gorge.
"Some people have already been moved to make way for the Jinanqiao power station, which they started building, although they have stopped for the time being because of opposition from the locals," said Mr Xie.
Tibetan Zhou Ma (23) runs a local shop and post office, which sells commemorative stamps, near the narrowest part of the gorge, where the tiger who gives the valley its name is supposed to have jumped to escape hunters.
Ms Zhou was unaware that her shop could soon be submerged by water. "I've not heard about this project. Is it true? That would completely destroy the scenery and I'd lose my shop. The water would cover it," she said.
Ding Zhengquan (36), a member of the Li ethnic minority, owns a restaurant and interpretation centre near the gorge.
His toddler daughter was busy helping to prepare dinner, placing potatoes in the embers of a dying fire on the roadside at the edge of the gorge.
"The power company people just want to make money. We moved down from the mountains and I invested 100,000 yuan (€10,000) in this business and I've only got one-third of it back so far," said Mr Ding. "If they build the dam, I'll never get my money back."
His wife, Chen, is worried. "We'll be poor again," she said.
Mr Xie is determined to do everything he can to stop the project going ahead.
"My family has farmed here for seven generations," he said.
"The harvest is usually very good. We get three years worth of wheat, corn and rice from one harvest. I have a nice house and our living conditions are very nice.
"From the attitude of the government, I am afraid that they will go ahead and build this dam. We must protect our rights and our environment and our home."
The tigers may be long gone, but many of the people living near the gorge fear that they have a lot more to lose now. And they say that, if the dam comes, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain will lose its snow.