Three Gorges Dam: How Trapped Silt Is Eating Shanghai's Coast

China’s grand plan to tame the Yangtze has unleashed a crisis no one can ignore. The Three Gorges Dam powers cities and calms deadly floods, but its hidden costs are reshaping the river’s future—and Shanghai’s shoreline. From Wushan’s drowned streets and mass relocations to Chongqing’s meteoric rise, we follow the Yangtze’s journey as sediment stalls behind the dam—up to 140 million tons a year—starving the delta of the silt that built it. Hear from a flood survivor, the dam’s chief engineer, and scientists tracking disappearing wetlands, collapsing fisheries, and a coastline already slipping away. Why are ships thriving while iconic species like the river sturgeon struggle? And how did a project meant to safeguard lives seed new risks—from stagnant pollution to accelerated erosion? This episode connects the locks that lift 10,000-ton ships with the fish markets that now come up light, and the megacity lights with a river pushed to its limit. Watch to see what the data reveals—and what China may need to do next. Watch now to uncover the tradeoffs driving modern China’s most powerful river. #YangtzeRiver #ThreeGorgesDam #Shanghai #Chongqing #ChinaDocumentary #RiverPollution #ClimateAndEnergy