Winchester traveled the 3900 miles of the Yangtze river in China to capture what draws five hundred million people to its banks. A sense of urgency was given as the massive Three Gorges dam project would change the entire ecology of much of the Yangtze Basin. He treats much of the journey with his typical aplomb as he encounters the usual array of incompetent bureaucrats, fascinating locals, and entertaining acknowledgements of Winchester’s ability to note the beauty of many of the women he meets along the way.