The Mass Line: An Important Methodology Used by China …
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the people wholeheartedly, facing difficulties squarely, and working hard for longterm benefits. Nationwide, since 1978, in response to the call of the Party and the
state, the Chinese people have actively participated in afforestation campaigns. As
of 2018, a total of 15.5 billion people had participated in tree planting campaigns
across the country, planting 70.5 billion trees (including other environmental services
converted into quantity of trees planted). In particular, the Three North Shelterbelt
is a miracle on earth.
Water resource conservation. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China,
facing the coexistence of severe floods and droughts, Mao Zedong regarded water
conservancy as a major issue concerning the vital interests of the Chinese people, and
demanded trust in and mobilization and organization of the masses for the construction of water conservancy projects. From June to July 1950, a severe flood hit the
Huaihe River Basin. At the end of August, with instructions from Mao Zedong, a
dedicated national conference was held in Beijing for the management of the Huaihe
River. After the meeting, the State Council issued the Decision on Huaihe River
Management and in November, Huaihe River Management Committee was established. Hundreds of thousands of workers soon gathered on construction sites along
the Huaihe River. In May 1951, Mao Zedong made the call that we must make sure the
Huaihe River is fully treated. Ten large reservoirs, many more medium-sized ones,
and hundreds of small ones were soon built with the simplest tools and massive
manpower and four flood storage projects and 18 flood discharge areas were put
into use. By the end of the 1970s, although there had been many floods, no major
disaster hit. In 1952 and 1963 respectively, Mao Zedong call for treatment work for
the Haihe River and the Yellow River. In 1958, Mao Zedong delivered in volunteer service at the construction site of Shisanling Reservoir in Beijing. Before 1949,
China had only 23 large and medium-sized reservoirs, while from 1949 to 1976,
more than 85,000 reservoirs of all types were built nationwide. In terms of drought
control, the Hongqi Canal in Linxian County, Henan Province, is great example.
Linxian County, located at the junction of Henan, Shanxi and Hebei provinces, used
to suffer a lot from severe droughts and water shortage. There had been efforts to
get things better but the results were not satisfactory. Then, in 1959, the county
decided to dig through the Taihang Mountains to bring in water from the Zhuozhang
River. The project began in 1960 and was completed in 1969, pushing up the total
area of irrigated farmland by 600,000 mu. More than 70,000 people participated in
the construction work, and 81 gave their lives. During the construction period, Mao
Zedong repeatedly emphasized that water conservancy project must take irrigation,
flood control, and soil and water conservation all into consideration. After 1978,
water conservancy work in China mainly took the form of specialized construction
projects. From 1978 to 2017, the number of reservoirs nationwide increased from
75,669 to 98,795, with a total capacity of 996.3 billion m
3 including 639.3 billion
m
3 of new capacity. The total length of dikes nationwide increased from 130,000 to
306,000 km, more than seven times the periphery of the Earth. Thus, China greatly
enhanced its capacities for flood and drought control, as well as its capabilities for
sustainable development.
77
the people wholeheartedly, facing difficulties squarely, and working hard for longterm benefits. Nationwide, since 1978, in response to the call of the Party and the
state, the Chinese people have actively participated in afforestation campaigns. As
of 2018, a total of 15.5 billion people had participated in tree planting campaigns
across the country, planting 70.5 billion trees (including other environmental services
converted into quantity of trees planted). In particular, the Three North Shelterbelt
is a miracle on earth.
Water resource conservation. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China,
facing the coexistence of severe floods and droughts, Mao Zedong regarded water
conservancy as a major issue concerning the vital interests of the Chinese people, and
demanded trust in and mobilization and organization of the masses for the construction of water conservancy projects. From June to July 1950, a severe flood hit the
Huaihe River Basin. At the end of August, with instructions from Mao Zedong, a
dedicated national conference was held in Beijing for the management of the Huaihe
River. After the meeting, the State Council issued the Decision on Huaihe River
Management and in November, Huaihe River Management Committee was established. Hundreds of thousands of workers soon gathered on construction sites along
the Huaihe River. In May 1951, Mao Zedong made the call that we must make sure the
Huaihe River is fully treated. Ten large reservoirs, many more medium-sized ones,
and hundreds of small ones were soon built with the simplest tools and massive
manpower and four flood storage projects and 18 flood discharge areas were put
into use. By the end of the 1970s, although there had been many floods, no major
disaster hit. In 1952 and 1963 respectively, Mao Zedong call for treatment work for
the Haihe River and the Yellow River. In 1958, Mao Zedong delivered in volunteer service at the construction site of Shisanling Reservoir in Beijing. Before 1949,
China had only 23 large and medium-sized reservoirs, while from 1949 to 1976,
more than 85,000 reservoirs of all types were built nationwide. In terms of drought
control, the Hongqi Canal in Linxian County, Henan Province, is great example.
Linxian County, located at the junction of Henan, Shanxi and Hebei provinces, used
to suffer a lot from severe droughts and water shortage. There had been efforts to
get things better but the results were not satisfactory. Then, in 1959, the county
decided to dig through the Taihang Mountains to bring in water from the Zhuozhang
River. The project began in 1960 and was completed in 1969, pushing up the total
area of irrigated farmland by 600,000 mu. More than 70,000 people participated in
the construction work, and 81 gave their lives. During the construction period, Mao
Zedong repeatedly emphasized that water conservancy project must take irrigation,
flood control, and soil and water conservation all into consideration. After 1978,
water conservancy work in China mainly took the form of specialized construction
projects. From 1978 to 2017, the number of reservoirs nationwide increased from
75,669 to 98,795, with a total capacity of 996.3 billion m
3 including 639.3 billion
m
3 of new capacity. The total length of dikes nationwide increased from 130,000 to
306,000 km, more than seven times the periphery of the Earth. Thus, China greatly
enhanced its capacities for flood and drought control, as well as its capabilities for
sustainable development.