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Tan Bangwu has a swarthy wrinkled face, two palms full of calluses, and eyes that would suddenly turn softer and brighten when looking at the Yangtze River. The 90-year-old boatman is revered as a "living fossil" of the Three Gorges. The Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling gorges extend for 200 kilometers on the upper reaches of the river. He was born into a boatman's family in the town of Guandukou in Badong County in central China's Hubei Province, between the Wuxia and Xiling gorges. His grandfather first took him sailing on a small wooden boat when Tan was only 8. Since then, the river, the gorges and the boats have never been out of his life. He is now the oldest boatman there and an eyewitness to almost a century of history in the Three Gorges. Tan has never lost his great passion for his wooden sailing boat although all kinds of vessels equipped with engines have replaced such boats in carrying passengers and cargo along the Three Gorges. Surrounded by the buzz of motors, Tan's delicate wooden boat with its white sail looks elegant, special and precious. Tan is one of the few people left who can still build and operate an old-style wooden sailing boat as used in the 1930s. Although 90, Tan can still operate his tiny sailing boat skillfully in the rapids, sprays and whirlpools of the river. "I've been boating on the river for all of my life. I can remember the locations of all the shallows, gorges, turns and rocks," he said proudly. "I often take people across the river at night if they have some emergency," he said. "I have never had an accident." Tan has four sons, who now own 11 large cargo boats with engines. Since Tan's wife passed away two years ago, his sons have tried to persuade their father to give up his wooden sailing boat. Tan's answer is always a simple but firm "Never." Now, he usually goes sailing to fish or enjoy the company of his old friends on the boat. Sometimes he just cruises on the river to pass the time. Tan said he wants to build a large, new sailing boat before the Three Gorges project finishes. "I believe most tourists or passengers will love my sailing boat much more than the motor boats because only on the sailing boat can people taste the genuine beauty of the Three Gorges," he said. To be a good boatman, people should not only learn how to deal with the characteristics of the water but also how to treasure their passengers, Tan said. One day four years ago, when Tan was sailing on the river just to pass the time, he casually heard that a young man could not find a boat to carry him across the river because he was with his dead father. The man, in his early 30s, had waited for more than 10 hours. No one wanted to help him since the boatmen believed that carrying a dead person would bring them bad luck. Tan immediately sailed his boat towards the port and found the young man, who was bargaining with a boatman on a boat with an engine. The young man's father had just died from liver cancer, and the son wanted to bury his father on the opposite bank of the river. But the son only had 72 yuan (US$8.70), far less than the 300 yuan (US$36.20) that the boatman was charging. Without any hesitation, Tan told the young man to move the body onto his boat. "I have never been scared of water or of ghosts. Let's go!" Tan shouted. Finally, Tan carried them safely across the river free of charge. "I did it because I appreciated the boy's filial sentiments very much." That was not the first time Tan had offered his help to strangers. "What I did was normal, just following what my ancestors had done," he said. Tan said all the people he knew who had started sailing boats with him in the 1920s had since died. "To be honest, being a boatman in the Three Gorges was very dangerous before. Your life was at risk every minute. I am a lucky survivor, maybe because I've done something good." Since 1997, China Central Television has sent a crew to film Tan's life every three months for a long documentary entitled "White Dragon Boat on the Three Gorges." Both the Chinese and overseas media have swarmed into Tan's small cabin along the riverbank since late last century. All the reporters have tried to record every tiny detail of Tan's memories about the Three Gorges. Most of the history there may be flooded by the water, which is expected to reach a height of 175 meters by 2009 when the whole hydroelectric project is completed. The town of Guandukou, once an important port along the river where Tan's family lived for generations, will also be submerged by then. For safety, Tan's family has moved into a new brick house on a nearby mountain along with the whole of the town, which is now located above an altitude of 175 meters. Tan said he began to realize the precious value of his old memories about the boating business and life in the Three Gorges after being interviewed by the media dozens of times. Totally illiterate, he now tries hard to remember all the scenes of the past. When he remembers something, he asks his sons or grandchildren to note it down right away. He even tries to record the lyrics of the old songs that he used to sing while boating. "I am excited that I can help a little here," he said.