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NADYA LABI
ASIA
YICHANG. A goddess turned a dozen dragons to stone, then used their petrified remains to guide the Yangtze River through China's spectacular Three Gorges, according to Chinese legend. The goddess may be angered now to see that her handiwork is being ruined by the government, which has been building a $24 billion dam, the world's largest, at the base of the deep chasms. Since Beijing first approved construction of the dam in 1992, 40 million tourists have flooded the site annually in search of the vistas that enraptured ancient poets such as Qu Yuan. By next year, however, when Asia's longest river is finally dammed, travel through the famed gorges will be impossible. Today the situation is best expressed by this 1956 verse: "Great plans are afoot: walls of stone will stand upstream." The poet was Mao Zedong.
NORTH AMERICA
DALLAS. Texans are known for their outsize gestures, and "Sun & Star 1996" is no exception. Southwestern hospitality is taken to extremes during a 100-day Japanese festival given by the Lone Star State. The $10 million extravaganza, financed by Japanese and American corporations, offers an unusual melange of events and exhibitions, including 3-D films and taiko drummers. The East-West partnership might seem destined for disaster--barbecued sushi, kimonoed cowboys--but the main display at the Dallas Museum of Art avoids cliches. "Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama" features some of the country's national treasures. Kano Eitoku's Chinese Lions, for example, prowl across a gold-leaf screen, commanding the attention of Easterners and Westerners alike. Through Dec. 5.
MONTREAL. Harried city dwellers who seek refuge in parks should schedule a stop at the Canadian Center for Architecture. In a tribute to the 19th century U.S. landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted, the museum commissioned three photographers to visit--and revisit throughout the seasons--74 of his urban oases. Robert Burley, Lee Friedlander and Geoffrey James--a Canadian, American and Brit--journeyed to North America's pre-eminent sites, including Manhattan's Central Park and Montreal's Mount Royal. Fountains, blooming trees and curving paths, captured in color and black-and-white, share space in the gallery as they do in Olmsted's "landscapes of democracy." Opens Oct. 16.
EUROPE
AUTOS. For all the drivers who have fumed impotently while watching a mobile phone-toting motorist weave his distracted way through traffic, justice is at hand. Last month Switzerland joined Italy, Spain and Portugal in cracking down on the garrulous offenders. Swiss authorities now charge $80 for telephoning while driving, exempting only hands-free speaker units; in Italy a motorist caught violating the ban pays $35 in cash or forfeits his license. Countries such as Germany are resisting the trend, arguing that a driver is king in his car. Perhaps, but he can certainly be a royal pain.