China is home to the world's largest ship lift, an engineering feat built at the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei province. It allows vessels of up to 3,000 tons to overcome a height difference of 113 meters and continue their journey along the Yangtze River. It officially began operations in 2016 and was designed to expedite navigation in one of the country's main river corridors.

Before it became operational, vessels had to pass through a system of five ship locks to cross the dam, a maneuver that took about four hours. Now, the transfer is completed in approximately 40 minutes. The water chamber into which the ships enter is 120 meters long, 18 meters wide, and 3.5 meters deep.

The mechanism operates using a system of cables, pulleys, counterweights, and electric motors that allow the chamber with the ship inside to be raised or lowered. It weighs approximately 15,500 tons and uses gears that move along rack structures installed on the towers.

According to data released by the China Three Gorges Corporation, as of February 2024, the ship lift had transported more than 25,800 vessels and 15.49 million tons of cargo since its inauguration. In addition to cargo ships, the structure can transport passenger vessels, provided they comply with the established operational conditions.