More than 6,000 tourists have visited the Three Gorges Dam crest since it reopened on Tuesday after a year-and-a-half suspension, the project managers said on Wednesday.

The China Three Gorges Project Corp. also lifted limits on the number of tourists, who visit the crest on the tour buses of a tourism company under the corporation.

More armed police were sent to tighten security upon the reopening.

The 2,309-meter long, 185-meter high dam crest was opened to the public on July 1, 2005, with a daily visitor limit of fewer than 1,000. But it was closed at the end of 2007 because of project security concerns.

The dam, one of China's top tourist attractions, has received more than 1 million visitors, including 30,000 from overseas.

Costing US$22.5 billion, the world's largest dam is built on the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River mainly to control floods.

Upon its scheduled completion this year, it will be able to produce electricity of 100 billion kilowatts hours, equivalent to 3 percent of last year's national consumption.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2009)