What some people have said was the greatest feat since the building of the Great Wall of China, was the creation of the Three Gorges Dam. To become the biggest hydroelectric dam in history, this massive undertaking was the centerpiece for this fascinating documentary. Instead of rattling off statistics and facts to the viewer; I was fascinated with the juxtaposition of scenes between poor, soon to be displaced, families with the wealthy tourists on the cruise ships, traveling the Yangtze River. To me, it felt like old China meeting New China; it was surreal to watch this documentary. This project was going to displace over 2 million people from their homes; that is right, over two million. One family in particular was shown as their way of life was changing, from farming the land to being placed in temporary housing and having to buy their own food and water. Their daughter was followed as she helped to support her family by applying for a position on one of the cruise ships. This conflict of old and new, ancient versus modern, made this touching documentary a beautiful way to capture a part of history in the making.

3 1/3 stars — DVD