Xin'an River Hydropower Station

Xin'an River Hydropower Station

Xin'an River Hydropower Station serves as a patriotic education base.

Located in the Tongguan Gorge, 6 kilometers west of Xin'anjiang Town, it is China's first large-scale hydropower station designed and built independently. The dam construction began in 1956 and power generation commenced in 1960.

In 1959, Premier Zhou personally visited the construction site of the hydropower station and gladly inscribed a dedication: “Hail to the successful construction of China’s first large hydropower station designed and equipped with domestically produced machinery!”

Introduction

The dam is grand and imposing, with a crest length of 426 meters, a height of 105 meters, and a width of 100 meters. In 1963, the Xin'an River Hydropower Station was officially approved by Premier Zhou for use as an external publicity and exhibition project, and has since been designated as a Zhejiang Provincial Patriotic Education Base and a Hangzhou Red Tourism Education Base.

Looking east from the top of the dam, you can see the new Xin'anjiang City that rose with the construction of the hydropower station; looking west, you can view the high gorges and calm lake, dotted with islands. The renowned Qiandao Lake is an artificial lake formed as a result of the dam’s completion.

The Xin'an River Hydropower Station is a monument in the history of China’s water conservancy and hydropower construction and will be forever engraved in the annals of history.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units