Henan Trip with Siblings (10) — Xiaolangdi

March 16. Today's plan was to take a chartered bus to visit the Xiaolangdi Dam, then head directly to Luoyang.

The Xiaolangdi Dam was a key project under the national "Eighth Five-Year Plan." Construction began in 1997 after the river was diverted, and it was completed at the end of 2001, becoming a crucial project for the management and development of the Yellow River.

Speaking of the Xiaolangdi Project, we have to start with the world-famous Sanmenxia Dam built in the 1950s.

During the "First Five-Year Plan" period in the 1950s, the Soviet Union assisted China with 156 key projects. I remember this clearly because I was studying at a university in Wuhan, and the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and the Wuhan Iron and Steel Company were two of those projects. The Sanmenxia Water Conservancy Project was the only water conservancy project among the 156.

The Sanmenxia Water Conservancy Project started construction in April 1957 and was completed in 1961. Unlike other projects, the Sanmenxia Dam faced strong opposition from the very beginning. The most important objection was that the dam's feasibility studies ignored the endless troubles that sediment buildup upstream would cause. Later facts proved that the initial objections were not without reason!

The Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project was a key project under the national "Eighth Five-Year Plan," aimed at solving the problems caused by the Sanmenxia Dam.

I am not a water conservancy professional, and this article is just a travelogue, not a professional paper. Therefore, the discussion of the merits and demerits of water conservancy projects is only superficial, and if there are any errors, they are inevitable.

The Xiaolangdi Project began river diversion in 1997 and was completed at the end of 2001. The Xiaolangdi Dam not only became an important means of water control but also a major tourist attraction in Henan Province.

When we arrived at Xiaolangdi, the dam was releasing floodwaters. This is precisely the spectacular sight that tourists most look forward to seeing, but it is rarely seen. A torrent of water shot out from the dam's flood discharge holes. From a distance, the mist was so thick that it looked like a dragon soaring through clouds.

Faced with such an unprecedented scene, everyone was eager to cross to the other side for a closer view. The suspension bridge and arch bridge over the river were actually beautiful sights worth appreciating, but at that moment, we all ignored them.

We arrived at the opposite bank. The sculptures on the bank represented several German, French, and Italian companies that designed the Xiaolangdi Project. Honestly, before this, I didn't know that Xiaolangdi was designed and built by foreign companies.

We approached the dam. From here, we could not only see the raging flood discharge but also hear the roar of the torrent. Suddenly, I recalled two lines from Li Bai's ancient poem: "Flying waterfalls and swirling rapids vie in clamor; crashing against cliffs and turning rocks, thunder fills a thousand ravines."

We took many photos standing in front of the rushing torrent, and especially the group photo left us precious memories.

There was a battery car station that said it could go to the dam. Without asking clearly, we bought tickets and boarded. As the car started, we learned that the battery car didn't go to the top of the dam but stopped at the dam's foot. From the foot to the top, there were over 800 steps to climb!

When we reached the foot of the dam, there was nothing to see. We had to muster our courage and start climbing the stairs to the top. Halfway up, we met tourists coming down from the top. They had driven directly to the top and were walking down. Seeing us struggling to climb, they found it strange and advised us: "There's nothing up there, and the dam top is off-limits to tourists." At that point, only my second sister, third brother, and I continued to climb, while my second brother and fourth brother decided to rest and wait for us to come down.

We climbed hard all the way, not for anything else, but to complete a self-challenge. After all, we were all in our seventies and eighties, with limited physical strength.

Finally, we reached the top. In fact, what we climbed to was only the extension of the dam on the shore. The main dam itself was blocked by an iron gate, just as those tourists had told us: no entry for visitors.

By the river was a park. From there, we could see the majestic Xiaolangdi Dam. We took more photos there.

Outside the park, there were minibuses that could go down to the entrance of the scenic area. To save energy, my wife and I decided to take a minibus down, while my sister and third brother's family walked down to meet up with my second brother and fourth brother's families.

The minibus ride down the mountain was very pleasant. Soon we arrived at the parking lot at the entrance and found our chartered bus. The driver was waiting in the car. Knowing we had come down from the top, he couldn't help but laugh and told us: "The top of the dam is already in Luoyang territory, and that's exactly where we need to pass on the way to Luoyang!"

So all our hard work climbing up and down was in vain. We should have done our homework beforehand; we wasted so much time on unnecessary detours!

My siblings who walked down returned to the car. Then the driver drove toward Luoyang, along the same road that the minibus had taken.

Going up the mountain again, we passed by the dam top park gate. We asked my second brother and fourth brother if they wanted to get off and take a look. Unexpectedly, they sat in the car, glanced toward the park by the river, and said, "Forget it!" So the scenery we had worked so hard to climb up and see was considered not even worth getting out of the car for!

As the chartered bus entered Luoyang, a new chapter of our Henan trip began.