Shangyou River Hydropower Plant

　　The Shangyou River Hydropower Plant was one of the supporting projects for the Xihua Mountain Tungsten Mine, which was among the 156 key national projects during China’s First Five-Year Plan period. It was the country’s first dam-type (dam-inlet) power station, built with assistance from the Soviet Union at the time. It is known as the “Mother Plant of Jiangxi’s Hydropower Industry” and the “Cradle of China’s Hydropower Talent.” It was also the “little sun” promised by Chairman Mao to our southern Jiangxi revolutionary base area. Construction officially began on March 8, 1955, and the plant started generating power in November 1957 — in just two years and eight months. The dam is 53 meters long, with a maximum height of 67.5 meters. It has an installed capacity of 72,000 kW, a total reservoir capacity of 822 million cubic meters, and a normal water storage level of 198.4 meters. When releasing floodwaters, the scene is majestic and spectacular. The total investment for the project at the time was only 57.76 million yuan, with a cost of just 963 yuan per kilowatt. With low investment, fast construction, and high quality, it stands as a milestone in the history of China’s hydropower development.