To Our Readers: Dec. 19, 1994

Hong Kong-based senior correspondent Sandra Burton has never wanted for determination; so when a long-sought visa to visit China and survey its mammoth Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River arrived recently, she set out immediately -- despite a broken ankle. She was doing nicely, navigating curbs and dodging Beijing bicycle traffic on her crutches, when she arrived at the office building of a high official attached to the dam. There, an apologetic aide informed her that due to one of the city's increasingly frequent power shortages, the elevator was out -- and she would have to climb six flights...

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