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Xinhua News Agency, Hefei, April 25 – Headline: “China’s First Dam” Symbolizes the Determination to Tame the Huai River. By Xinhua reporter Shui Jincheng. The majestic Dabie Mountains rise steeply and stretch for miles, surrounded by the charm of spring. Entering the Foziling Reservoir exhibition hall, what comes into view is the rotor of a hydro-generator set. Since it was \"retired\" in the 1990s, it has remained on display here quietly. In 1954, the rotor of China’s first 1,000-kilowatt hydro-generator set, produced by the Harbin Electric Machinery Factory, was installed on the dam of the Foziling Reservoir, and the dam began to operate successfully in November of that year. Since then, this waterwheel, along with the “first dam of New China,” has been guarding the people in the Huai River basin. Going back to the summer of 1950, a severe flood struck the Huai River basin, causing dams to burst and houses to be destroyed. In April 1951, a six-member Huaihe River geology team climbed cliffs and crossed streams in an attempt to find a \"coordinate\" on this \"red land\" – one suitable for building a reservoir to hold back floods. The Huai River became the first major river in New China to be subject to comprehensive and systematic management. “\"Combining storage and discharge\" was the policy for managing the Huai River at that time. “To achieve “storage,” reservoirs must first be built in the valleys upstream of the Huai River. 116.2 degrees east, 31.3 degrees north — on the geological map of the Huai River basin, this coordinate located on the Dongpi River in the Dabie Mountains area of Huoshan County, Anhui Province, is marked off. In 1952, construction officially began on the Foziling Reservoir dam, known as “China’s first dam.” What kind of dam should be built? Wang Huzhen, who was then the deputy head of the Water Resources Department of the East China Military and Political Committee as well as the head of the Engineering Department of the Huaihe River Commission, came up with a bold idea: reinforced concrete continuous arch dams. “The Dabie Mountains have abundant water resources, and by utilizing the strength of reinforced concrete, it is possible to effectively withstand the pressure of large volumes of water and sudden floods. Furthermore, building continuous arch dams could effectively alleviate the problem of insufficient cement production in the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. This is an exploratory effort that is scientific and advanced. ”Tan Fujia, former deputy director of the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources, said that at that time many experts in water resources, architecture, and geology, including Mao Yisheng and Qian Lingxi, gathered in Foziling. After thorough discussion, it was agreed that constructing a continuous arch dam was the best solution. The officials arrived, the skilled workers arrived, and fresh graduates from civil engineering departments in universities also came... In a mountain valley, a large number of thatched huts, as well as simple hospitals, schools, post offices, and theaters, were built overnight. The Foziling construction site turned into a “new city” in the Dabie Mountains. “Although university graduates are highly motivated to work, they lack practical experience,” said Tan Fujia. Experts such as Wang Huzhen gave them on-site lectures based on the actual conditions of the Foziling project. According to statistics, among those who participated in the construction of the Foziling Reservoir, 4 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering emerged, along with a large number of experts and outstanding water resources professionals, who later became key figures in the construction of water projects such as Sanmenxia, Danjiangkou, and Gezhouba. In 1954, with the last cubic meter of concrete poured on top of the dam, China’s first reinforced concrete arch dam, measuring 510 meters in length and 74.4 meters in net height, was completed and stood between the two mountains of Foziling. “This dam was the first project built in New China to play a significant role in managing the Huai River, and it holds great importance in the history of river management there. ”Tan Fujia said. There were more than 240 flood peaks with a discharge rate exceeding 500 cubic meters per second ； Annual water supply exceeds 150 million cubic meters ； In conjunction with the coordinated management of Xianghongdian Reservoir, it irrigates 6.6 million mu of farmland ； Over 8 billion kWh of electricity has been generated in total, generating comprehensive economic and social benefits worth more than 60 billion yuan... In the early days of the People’s Republic of China, key projects such as those aimed at managing the Huai River, the Jingjiang Flood Diversion Project, and flood control measures for the lower reaches of the Yellow River were constructed with great effort; these projects helped to change the situation in old China, where river embankments were in poor condition and floods occurred frequently, and they proved to be extremely effective. “Today, a flood control, waterlogging reduction, and disaster mitigation system has been largely established in the Huai River basin; with the full utilization of flood storage areas, it is possible to defend against large-scale floods in the basin. ”Liu Dongshun, director of the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources, said that those working to manage the Huaihe River carry forward the spirit of struggle from the old revolutionary areas in the Dabie Mountains, making every effort to achieve new results in the protection and management of the river during this new stage of development, with the aim of turning the Huaihe River into a river that brings prosperity to the people living in its basin. (End) Source: Xinhua News Agency