A boat sits on the southern bank of the Yangtze River estuary at Hanyang in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. The water level has been low since December 28, when water in the river hit its lowest level on record. According to measurements collected at the nearby Yichang Hydrologic Station, 284.4 billion cubic meters flowed past the station last year, accounting for only 64 percent of the average amount in the past years and the lowest level in 130 years. Many boats have been stranded in the central section of the Yangtze as a result.

 

(China Daily January 12, 2007)