Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2012 shows the night scene of the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province. The dam, the world's largest water control and hydropower project which spans China's Yangtze River, started on Sept. 10 to reduce water discharge with a full-capacity storage test. The water lever in the dam was monitored to reach 165 meters on Sept. 14. According to authorities, the water level in the dam is expected to reach 175 meters by the end of October at the earliest. The reservoir, mainly built to tame the Yangtze River, usually discharges water in May. It alleviates spring droughts in areas downstream, and makes room to contain water from the river's seasonal flooding in summer. (Xinhua/Zheng Jiayu)
