YICHANG, Central China  -- When the Olympic flame is burning at the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest on the middle reaches of Yangtze River on Sunday, the two national century-year-old dreams of China which both come true are shining brightly to each other.

The Beijing Olympic torch relay started at 8 a.m. in Yichang where the well-known Three Gorges Project is located. It is the flame's second stop in central China's Hubei province.

The 25 torchbearers took only 18 minutes to run across this 2,309 meters long dam, the largest of its kind in the world.

Cao Guangjing, the last torchbearer and also deputy general manager of  China Yangtze Three Gorges Project Corporation, said: "I feel so proud and excited today. Although it took only one hour passing on the torch in Three Gorges Dam area, we spent 100 years designing and constructing this route."

As China's longest and the world's third longest, Yangtze River nurtured the Chinese civilization. However, its flooding has since long threatened lives and properties of residents along its valley.

To tame the floods, Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of China's democratic revolution initially envisaged the Three Gorges project in 1918. It had undergone protracted debates and researches for around half a century before it was finally approved in 1992 by the government.

It is schemed to function in flood control, to generate clean energy and to benefit shipping, with flood control as its major effect.

Launched in 1993, the world's largest water control and hydroelectric project, including a 185-meter-high dam and 26 generators on both banks of the Yangtze, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze.

The multi-functional project is estimated to cost 180 billion yuan (approximately 21.7 billion US dollars) and will have a combined generating capacity of 18.2 million kw.

Until now, it has generated more than 227 billion kw/hours of electricity. Upon completion in the end of 2008, one year ahead of the schedule, the project will be able to generate 84.7 billion kW/hours of electric power annually.

It will also help the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze valley to withstand deluges that can be seen every 100 years.

Cao said the Three Gorges is also the Olympics in hydropower and water conservancy project, which embodies advanced technologies of this field, and collects the top talents and equipment manufacturers, creating a miracle in the world's history of water conservancy project.

"It is a great honour for all constructors that the Olympic flame was lit on the Dam. Olympics give expression to the ceaseless sports sprit and courage while facing challenges, which is the same as the hard-working sprit of the Three Gorges constructors."

The Bejing Olympic Games will be held on August 8, and the Three Gorges project will also be completed and exert its functions in full swing this year. Both of the national dreams of China lasting for a hundred years will become true.