Red Flag Canal: A shared legacy of resilience and cooperation

The most hazardous aspect of the canal's construction was working at great heights. Workers, tied securely with ropes, dangled from the cliffs, using long poles to clear loose rocks and prevent deadly landslides. These heart-stopping scenes became emblematic of the Red Flag Canal's arduous journey.

Decades later, the spirit of this mission took root in the next generation. In the 1990s, Zhang Maijiang's son, Zhang Xueyi, followed in his family's footsteps, becoming a guardian of the canal, silently watching over this man-made waterway that demanded so much sacrifice.

The completion of the Red Flag Canal in 1969, after a decade of relentless effort, stands as a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. Stretching 1,500 kilometers, the canal system includes a main canal, primary and secondary channels, and numerous sub-channels. The construction involved leveling 1,250 hills, excavating 211 tunnels, and erecting 152 aqueducts.

Over the past 60 years, the canal has diverted over 13 billion cubic meters of water, irrigating more than 3.13 million hectare-times, and boosting grain production by 4 billion kilograms.

This feat was made possible by the united efforts of the people from both Henan and Shanxi. Of the 70.6 km of the main canal, 21 km lie within Shanxi's Pingshun, where the village of Cuijiazhuang, on the southern bank of the Zhuozhang River, serves as the canal's source.