Sanmenhsia

(gorge of the three gates; also known as San-men Gorge), a gorge on the Huang Ho in China; situated upstream from the river’s entry onto the North China Plain. At the beginning of the gorge the river is 250 m wide, and at the narrowest point, 120 m wide. In the narrow part of the gorge two rocky islands divide the Huang Ho into three streams, known locally as the Gate of Man, the Gate of Devils, and the Gate of Spirits. Only the Gate of Man is navigable. From 1955 to 1962 the USSR helped build a hydroelectric complex in Sanmenhsia. The complex reduced the threat of flooding on the lower Huang Ho and increased the area of land under irrigation.