This gloomy yet intriguing documentary captures the human repercussions of the Three Gorges Dam - the largest hydro-electric project in the world.

As two teenagers embark upon jobs on a cruise boat transporting tourists up the Yangtze river, we gain a fascinating glimpse into an ancient world fading fast as China hurtles towards the western capitalism of the 21st century.

Yu Shui, the 16-year-old daughter of peasants living in a shack by the river, waves goodbye to her old life to earn money to support her family about to be made homeless. Starting her new job in the kitchens of the 'Victoria Queen', she is given the western name of Cindy.

Chen Bo Yu, a 19-year-old student, meanwhile is renamed Jerry. Director Yung Chang takes us through their English lessons and attempts to fit in with the crew of the luxury boat as it transports its tourists on 'the farewell tours' of the riverbanks about to be lost forever.

The Three Gorges Dam will generate 22,500 megawatts of electricity for China's burgeoning population and 'dragon' economy when it becomes operational in three years' time. The cost of the power station, however, extends beyond its $25 billion price tag.

In the country's most ambitious engineering project since the Great Wall, communities dating back thousands of years will be scattered to the wind as two million people are relocated. Natural beauty, farmland and ancient archaeological and cultural sites will also be sacrificed to the flood of progress.

'Up The Yangtze' attempts to portray the rapid, unsettling onset of change through the eyes of the younger generation. On the 'Victoria Queen', Chen easily communicates with the Western tourists but his arrogance over their tips soon catches up with him at the end of his three-month probationary period.

Yu, however, has more at stake, being from a poor family, and is keen to learn and accommodate. Homesickness for her family eventually fades as she makes friends, goes shopping and learns how to apply make-up.

Meanwhile, other inhabitants of the river argue about being given inadequate compensation by the Chinese government and corruption by officials after having their homes demolished. One man says: "China is too hard for common people."

The cinematography of 'Up The Yangtze' captures the epic scale of the river which will reach a height of 175 metres as the Chinese government attempts to harness its power.

The narrator, however, mourns the disappearance of the 'mythical river' his grandfather used to sing about and to which Mao Tse-Tung penned a poem in tribute. "People are already speaking of the river in the past tense," he says.

One man tells him: "Our country is really strong and prosperous now, so strong and prosperous that it can actually stop the gigantic river." As he speaks, displaced families trudge past with their belongings, about to enter a new, uncertain era in China's history.

** Up The Yangtze will be screened today at 3.45 p.m. at Liberty Theatre.