Red Flag Canal: A shared legacy of resilience and cooperation

In the early 1960s, nestled at the foot of the Taihang Mountains, the people of Linxian county, now Linzhou city, in Henan province faced a relentless struggle against water scarcity. Determined to end this plight, a bold vision was conceived — to carve a life-giving canal through the sheer cliffs in order to channel water from the Zhuozhang River in neighboring Shanxi province.

Among the many who took up this monumental task was the family of Zhang Maijiang. At 77, Zhang recalls a time when the people of present-day Linzhou lived in dire poverty, often forced to leave their homes in search of sustenance. His father, a demolition squad leader, was a casualty of the canal-building project, killed by a falling rock while ensuring his fellow workers' safety.

In the wake of his father's death, Zhang's mother sent him to the canal construction site with a solemn directive: not to return until the canal was completed. At just 13, Zhang became the youngest laborer on the project site, continuing his father's unfinished work on the dangerous cliffside sections of the main canal in Shanxi's Pingshun county.

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.

Cui Suhao, the village's Party secretary, said that the canal is a miracle of human achievement. "Despite severe shortages of materials, labor, and funds, the canal was completed against all odds," Cui said. "During construction, villagers offered their homes and farmland to accommodate the workers, despite subsisting on meager diets themselves."

For Cui, the spirit of the Red Flag Canal is a shared legacy of resilience and cooperation between the two provinces. Without the contributions from both sides, this monumental project would not have been possible.

Wang Qinghai, a third-generation canal guardian from Cuijiazhuang, recalls the dire conditions before the canal's construction. Water was so scarce that many residents of Linxian bathed only three times throughout their lives: at birth, before marriage, and after death. Villagers often trekked several kilometers to fetch water. "Without the canal, the thriving Linzhou of today would not exist," Wang said.

The Red Flag Canal's legacy grows richer with time. Tian Lingli, director of the Red Flag Canal Memorial Hall, experienced the hardships of water scarcity firsthand. She believes the canal's cultural allure lies in its stark visual contrast and the emotional resonance of its intergenerational spirit. Visitors can witness this engineering marvel and connect deeply with the spirit of struggle from that era.

Shen Meifang, a local guide for over a decade, introduces the "Youth Tunnel", the canal's most challenging section, to visitors at the museum. "Carved by 300 young workers over 17 months, it stands as a monument to their perseverance and is named in their honor," she said.

Every summer, the canal becomes a popular educational site, drawing visitors from around the world. The Red Flag Canal Cadre Academy offers systematic courses, fostering exchanges between Henan and Shanxi to perpetuate the canal spirit.

Yang Zhaoying, a visitor from Beijing, marveled at the canal's construction, achieved entirely by hand amid constant danger. She wonders at the sheer determination that drove the builders to complete such a monumental task.

Today, efforts are underway to have the Red Flag Canal recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site, a collaborative effort between the cultural heritage bureaus of Henan and Shanxi. This initiative aims to establish the canal as a world-class cultural and tourism landmark.

For Zhang Maijiang, the canal is a living textbook, an inexhaustible source of spiritual wealth, and a cherished family legacy.

Qi Xin contributed to this story.