That's not to say the cruise is as dramatic as it once was. Among the 40 passengers - Americans, Canadians, Europeans and a few Chinese - were some San Francisco residents who recalled the cliffs soaring higher when they'd visited pre-dam.
Even one of the shipboard guides admitted sadly, "So many beautiful sceneries have been flooded away."
And yet, no one thought the gorges were no longer worth visiting.
"For someone who's never been before, they're still pretty stunning," Chetham said.
The highlight of the cruise came on the second day, when we took a side trip to an area known as the Lesser Three Gorges. In a driving rain, we boarded a small ferry to putter up the emerald Shennong Stream, between mountain walls lush with green bamboo bushes, leafy trees, and a sprinkling of yellow flowers.
As the water got shallower, we switched to small wooden craft called peapod boats, resembling wide canoes. Powering them were short, sinewy men in shorts - the storied boatmen of Shennong, who had pulled boats through the clear, rapids-filled water for centuries, traditionally without benefit of clothing. Thrusting their oars in the water, the men looked like wizards in their pointy-hooded rain ponchos.
Despite the boats' makeshift blue tarp roofs, we quickly became soaked. But we became almost giddy as we retreated into a quiet, green-tinged world. We finally had the river to ourselves, with just the occasional farmer gliding by in a sampan. And for once, the air was fragrant and clear.
"There's no pollution" in the tributary, said our guide, a member of the Tujia ethnic group. "If you wash your face, you may become younger and more beautiful."
As we headed back to our cruise ship, one of our boatmen began to sing a traditional, haunting melody in the local language. His reedy voice carried along the river, silent except for the rhythmic whoosh of oars. It seemed we had caught a glimpse of the old China so rapidly being obscured by modernization.
And then I realized that, unlike his colleagues, the boatman wasn't wearing a typical straw hat under his rain poncho.
He sported a Yankees cap.
Starting next year, U.S. Airways plans to fly nonstop to Beijing from Philadelphia International Airport. Until then, you can make the flight with one stop on Air China, British Airways, Lufthansa and United. The lowest recent round-trip fare was $984.
From Beijing, the two-hour flight to Yichang costs $160 to $200 one way on Air China or Hainan Airlines. (In China, one-way tickets are typically
half the cost of round-trip.) In general, it's cheaper to book Chinese domestic air trips once you're in the country, but it's wise to book the Yichang flight well in advance, since there are only one or two nonstops each day.
Our cruise line sent a driver and English-speaking guide to pick us up at the Yichang airport, and another team delivered us to Chongqing Airport.
Americans must have Chinese visas, which can be obtained from the Visa Section of the Chinese Embassy at 2201 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 110, Washington, D.C. The fee is $100. For details, go to www.china-embassy.org. Passports must have at least six months of remaining validity.
Cruising
The best times to cruise the Yangtze River are in the spring and fall, when the weather is cool and comfortable. The river valley can be broiling in the summer. Some cruise lines don't operate in the winter.
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