Cross-river vehicle ferry in Minjiang in 1994. [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]

In 1994, it was possible to sail from Chongqing to Shanghai by conventional passenger boat. Today, luxury cruise vessels carry tourists through the Three Gorges (Sanxia) to Wuhan. Two-hundred kilometres long, the gorge sections remain one of the world's most spectacular river journeys. I was heading downriver on a large multi-deck, multi-class vessel crowded with people heading to a multitude of small river towns - the river a lifeline to larger cities. For me it was the dramatic scenery that had inspired generations of painters and poets, but it was also that topography alongside the incredible force of the water that had contributed to Sichuan's isolation. Human 'trackers' risked their lives hauling boats up through the rapids where one slip meant instant death in the merciless currents that would frequently wreck vessels attempting downriver passage. In 1994, it was still possible to see the carved paths used by the 'trackers'. During low water periods, perilous sections had marker buoys indicating a safe navigable channel, although some unfortunate vessels sat perched on rocks having veered off course.