Later this year the Yangzi will be blocked and diverted at the site of the Three Gorges dam, a giant project that will turn the 600 kilometres below Chongqing into a lake.

ECONOMIST: The benign ghost of Lu Zoufu

On his most recent visit to the dam site, in October, Mr Li sang his familiar song of praise for the Three Gorges: the dam had sound science and public support behind it.

ECONOMIST: Zhu and the dam-busters