Abstract:In thi spaper, three problems are discussed: First, as regards flood control, the idea of waiting for the building of Three Gorges Dam should be abandoned. It is impractical to rely every wishful thinking on the building of Three Gorges Dam; Second, development of the tributaries should be given first priority, and then the main river. The development of hydroelecrtic stations should be incorporated with the development of thermal stations, as local condition may suit; Third, in developing the Yangtze River in the stretch around Sichuan Province, navigation, and not flood control, should have the first priority. River channel regulation work should be carried out before the sedimentation problem is solved. The Three Gorges Dam, with its mammoth magnitude, huge monetary expenditure and very long leading time, will be a main engineering undertaking on the Yangtze River. It must be fully demonstrated whether the dam should be built at all. Such a major issue with far-reaching overall impacts should not bedecided by a few people, in order to avoid the waste of manpower and financial resources and leave harms to our descendants.