Sandouping

The predecessor of today's Sandouping, the village of Huangniupu (黄牛铺, "Yellow Cow Post Station") was established during the reign of the Hongzhi Emperor in 1496. Sandouping District was created in March 1949 and transformed into Sandouping Town in February 1984. Sandouping used to be a small fishing village until it was selected to be the site of the Three Gorges Dam. In 1999, at the peak of the construction, over 40,000 workers lived in Sandouping. At the time, special permits were required to enter the town. Six out of nineteen Sandouping's villages are populated by families that have been resettled from the areas flooded by the waters of the Three Gorges Reservoir, or, earlier, the Gezhouba Reservoir. ==Geography==

The Town of Sandouping occupies 178 km2 on the right (southern) bank of the Yangtze River, opposite the town of Letianxi (), to which it is connected by Xiling Bridge. Sandouping's western neighbor is the town of Maoping, the county seat of the nearby Zigui County. Although it is only a kilometer or two west of the dam (straight-line distance), it is actually several kilometers drive on Hubei Provincial Route 134, because of the terrain. A secondary center of economic activity in the town is located in its western part, within walking distance from the service entrance to the Three Gorges Dam (Gaojiachong Village () and Sandouping residential community). ==Administrative Divisions==

One residential community: • Sandouping () Nineteen villages: • Huanglingmiao (), Huangniuyan (), Nantuo (), Yuanyi (), Qipanshan (), Zhongbao/bu/pu (), Gaojiachong (), Shiban (), Qiuqianping (), Huajipo (), Dongyuemiao (), Xinsheng (), Shipai (), Tianqiao (), Zhemuping (), Wuhe (), Toudingshi (), Muyang (), Baiguotang () ==Economy==

The town's economy is closely connected to the Yangtze River. Besides the Three Gorges Dam, major local enterprises include Hailun Shipyard () and Fazhong Vessel Servicing Company (). The three main agricultural products of Sandouping are citrus fruits (according to different governmental sources, 15,000 mu [ 1,000 hectares] or 10535 mu [702 ha] under cultivation, with an annual harvest of 14,000 metric tons), silkworms (14400 mu/ 960 ha of mulberry plantations), and tea (3316 mu/ 221 ha). The town's authorities are working on expanding tourism in the area. ==Gallery==

File:Sandouping-southern-entry-to-Three-Gorges-Dam-4912.jpg|Dam facility's service entry, near Sandouping's western neighborhood. Part of the dam can be seen in the background File:Sandouping-homes-near-the-dam-4908.jpg|Workers' neighborhood in Sandouping near the southern entrance to the Three Gorges Dam File:Sandouping-Huangling-Miao-4893.jpg|Huangling Temple File:Yiling-District-Grapefruits-4880.jpg|Pomelos or grapefruits in the neighboring town of Letianxi ==See also==