This spring, villagers noticed a 200-meter-long crack, barely a centimeter thick, zigzagging across their paddies. Not long afterward, dam officials lowered reservoir levels to prepare for the summer flooding season.

• 今年春天，村民们发现一条长200米宽1厘米的裂缝横贯稻田。而不久之后，大坝开始放水为夏季汛期作准备。