Just a brief note here..
The Chinese have virtually completed the world's largest hydro-electric facility, the 'Three Gorges Dam'. Now this was a project pondered as early as 1918 by the Nationalist leader Sun Yat-Sen.. an idea Mao Zedong waxed poetic on his vision of a 'great wall of stone' from which a 'smooth lake' would drown the gorges..
The completion of the massive wall was broadcast on State Television, but there were no high-ranking officials there, as a cost cutting measure..
Really. It would have had a pricetag of over a million yuan if it had been a State Occasion.. Instead, they marked the pouring of the last stretch of concrete with a small brass band and some confettii..
There's still work to do, but it's mildly disturbing to ponder the fact, that this sleeping giant is realling beginning to stir..
Ahh.. and as a final thought. The Chinese have imported foreign help for the first time for this project. German Engineers have been recruited to ensure the safety and integrity of the construction. This marks the first time any foreigner has been asked in, for any reason.
If credibility is what China seeks, allowing the techinal Germans to endorse the work would certainly accomplish that end.