Preliminary Research On Ming Tombs Reservoir Project

Ming Tombs Reservoir originated from the idea to construct a man-made lake that Zhou Enlai put forward when he inspected Ming Tombs area in 1954.At the beginning of Great Leap Forward and the upsurge in national establishment of irrigation and water conservancy,the ground was officially broken for Ming Tombs Reservoir in "fast-tract" approach on Jan 21st,1958 before the due date,and the date for its completion was Jun 30th,1958.As an example of Great Leap Forward,especially after Mao Zedong and other national leaders personally come to the reservoir worksite to participate in the reservoir construction,Ming Tombs Reservoir was given wide publicity soon after its construction was beginning and had become a famous political project of natioanal influence.Ming Tombs Reservoir,a typical political project in earliest days of the Peoples' Republic of China,is short of analysis for its process of construction,and the study of succeeding project is focused on the project's benefit,so the complete study is lack for its whole process of the project.This paper gives a systematic summary of Ming Tombs Reservoir project's motion of construction,decision-making of start-up,process of construction,emerging problems,succeeding construction and so on,in the light of related archives and statements of the parties and so on.First of all,this paper shows the origin of the reservoir,historical background,decision-making process and the analysis for the reason of construction before the due date.Secondly,this paper presents an attempt to reappear the actual procedure of construction by summarizing the reservoir's prospecting,design and construction.Thirdly,this paper displays the political propaganda,the adequate attention from Mao Zedong and other national leaders and the later huge political influence;Furthermore,the paper exhibits the summary of the reservoir's related follow-up project,the analysis of the problems of leakage,water storage and their solutions,and a series of changes after the reservoir's completion.The writer gets conclusions as follow through the study in this paper:The proposal of establishment of a reservoir in Ming Tombs area is not improper after comprehensive study,but in the construction of Ming Tombs Reservoir,there existed wrong practice.On one hand,the procedure of decision-making is abnormal.Less attention paid on the reservoir's prospecting and design caused the leakage.On the other hand,the preparatory procedure was not careful enough,and the ground was broken without thorough schedule so the time limit was tense and later investment was added to ensure the successful completion.The experience in Ming Tombs Reservoir's construction was spread widely to add fuel to the falmes of Great Leap Forward,in which Ming Tombs Reservoir was regarded as a mark.The succeeding changes of the reservoir has sovled the leakage problem and especially the Ming Tombs Pumped-storage Power Station's establisment enables Ming Tombs Reservoir not only to give full play to its reservior's function but also to Safeguard the safe operation of the North China Power Grid as a result of its black start function,and makes Ming Tombs Reservoir become one of the most important reserviors in Beijing's surburbs and to bring its actual use into play.