This is a collection of essays exploring the deep-rooted problems presented by the Three Gorges dam project that the Chinese government are trying to disguise or suppress, brought together by Dai Qing, an investigative journalist, at the risk of her own freedom.

Chapter 1 The Three Gorges Project, Dai Qing; Chapter 2 A Profile of Dams in China, Shui Fu; Chapter 3 The World's Most Catastrophic Dam Failures, Yi Si; Chapter 4 Discussing Population Resettlement with Li Boning, Qi Ren; Chapter 5 The Environmental Impacts of Resettlement in the Three Gorges Project, Chen Guojie; Chapter 6 What Are the Three Gorges Resettlers Thinking?, Ding Gigang; Chapter 7 A Survey of Resettlement in Badong County, Hubei Province, Ding Qigang, Zheng Jiaqin; Chapter 8 Resettlement in the Xin'an River Power Station Project, Mou Mo, Cat Wenmei; Chapter 9 The Danger to Historical Relics and Cultural Antiquities In and Around the Three Gorges Area, Dai Qing; Chapter 10 A Lamentation for the Yellow River, Shang Wei; Chapter 11 Water Pollution in the Three Gorges Reservoir, Jin Hui; Chapter 12 Military Perspectives on the Three Gorges Project, Da Bing; epilogue The New Golden Triangle of China, Richard Hayman;