More than 100 former residents of the Three Gorges Dam area ascended the top of the Three Gorges Project, world's largest hydroelectric project, Friday morning, becoming the first batch of visitors to the 185-meter-high platform.

The dam on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China's longest river, is open to the public since Friday in the period from July to September every year, and only 1,000 visitors are allowed each day, said Chen Mengjiong, manager of the Three Gorges Tourism Development Co. Ltd.

Currently, only a 100-meter long and five-meter wide area on the top of the dam is open to visitors. 

Chen said visitors can enjoy a grand view of floodwater discharging on the dam, as the open days fall in the flood season of the Yangtze River. 

The maximum water discharging capacity of the 2,309-meter-long dam is 11,610 cubic meters per second, the world's largest.

The northern section of the dam, more than 1,600 meters long, was completed. The southern section is still under construction and is expected to complete in June, 2006.

A theme park built to commemorate the damming of the Yangtze River with an investment of 40 million yuan (about US$4.8 million) will be open to public on October 1.

The reservoir area has received 3.6 million tourists since 1997.

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2005)