Yang Qigui: A master who harnesses rivers with wholehearted dedication

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http://mp42.china.com.cn/video_tide/video/2023/7/27/20237271690455287571_408.mp4

Since the founding of New China, successive generations of water conservancy professionals have dedicated themselves to the regulation and protection of the Yangtze River with their expertise and passion, benefiting hundreds of millions of people living in the basin. Yang Qigui, a nationally acclaimed expert in engineering survey and design, is a member of this proud community. As the Party Secretary and Chairman of CISPDR Corporation (Changjiang Institute of Survey, Planning, Design and Research Corporation), Yang feels privileged and honored to join the cause of water conservancy. Over the past four decades or so, he has participated in and led the design of more than 40 major domestic and international hydraulic engineering projects, as well as over 30 major projects under the national science and technology program and key engineering research programs. He has guided his team to fully engage in the well-coordinated conservation of the Yangtze River in the new era, and has taken part in multiple major water-related emergency rescue operations.

A lifetime devoted to the meandering Yangtze River

In July 1983, inside the Yangtze River Basin Planning Office (now the Changjiang Water Resources Commission), 19-year-old Yang Qigui was working on an engineering drawing. Little did he know that over a decade later, he would become the lead designer of the Shuibuya Dam, which was the world’s tallest concrete face rock-fill dam, a record that still stands to this day. The dam was hailed by academician Pan Jiazheng as “another miracle created by Chinese researchers in dam construction”, while Mr. Berga, President of the International Commission on Large Dams, praised it as “testament to China’s world-leading technologies in concrete face rock-fill dams.”

Yang Qigui was born in Yichang (Yidu), Hubei Province, a city renowned as a “global hydropower hub”. The Gezhouba Dam, the first dam built on the Yangtze River, is located here. In 1979, Yang, who was not yet 16 years old, was admitted to the Gezhouba Hydropower Engineering College, where he pursued his studies in hydraulic structures.

After graduation, Yang began his career as a junior technician responsible for hydraulic drawings. Through hard work and dedication, he became the director of a professional department at the age of 30, and later, the chief engineer of CISPDR (Changjiang Institute of Survey, Planning, Design and Research), one of China’s top 50 survey and design institutes, at the age of 38. Over the course of his nearly 40-year career, Yang has overseen the design of more than 40 large and medium-sized projects, including the Gezhouba Dam, Geheyan Dam, Three Gorges Dam, Shuibuya Dam, and the Central Yunnan Water Diversion Project. In 2021, he was honored with the prestigious title of “The Most Outstanding Water Conservancy Professional” by the Ministry of Water Resources.

When speaking about this honor, Yang Qigui said that it belongs to his entire team as a recognition of their achievements within the water conservancy industry. Being deemed “the most outstanding” is not based on one’s appearance, but on one’s firm sense of responsibility and unwavering commitment in the face of significant challenges and obstacles. The original mission of every “water conservancy professional” is to have the courage to shoulder responsibility, the dedication to pursue true science, and the perseverance to strive for excellence.

Rise to challenges with vigorous and determined endeavor 

As an expert in water-related disaster relief, Yang Qigui has been in charge of multiple major rescue operations on the front line. He has participated in more than 30 major domestic disaster rescue missions, tackling emergencies including the Yigong landslide dam in Tibet, the Tangjiashan landslide dam in Sichuan Province, the Zhouqu mudslide dam in Gansu Province, the Baige landslide dam on the Jinsha River, the breach of the Changkai Embankment on Fuhu River in Jiangxi Province, the concentrated leakage of the Dongfangshan Dam in Hubei Province, and the river-blocking landslide in Tiantai, Sichuan Province. He has also travelled to Pakistan and Thailand to provide technical assistance.

Yang compiled the initial standards for the disposal of dammed lakes, the first of their kind both in China and internationally. He also published the world’s first monograph on this topic, and developed a technical system for the emergency disposal of dammed lakes. This system has been successfully applied to tackle the dammed lakes in Yigong, Tangjiashan, and Baige, making significant contributions to disaster mitigation. Since the implementation of these standards, China has achieved the remarkable feat of zero casualties in the emergency disposal of dammed lakes, laying the foundation for its global leadership in this field.

Each emergency rescue operation presents a challenge that requires both courage and professional capabilities. Yang said, “seeking genuine knowledge and honing practical skills through college education enable us to make meaningful contributions to our nation, our country, and our people in times of crises. This is not only our duty as engineers and but also the original aspiration of each and every Communist Party member.

Executive Producer: Wang Xiaohui

Production Supervisor: Xue Lisheng

Co-Production Supervisor: Dai Fan

Producer: Yang Dan

Organizer: Fang Xiaoqi

Videographer: Liu Kai, Xie Zhifei

Editor: Fang Xiaoqi

Produced by: CHINAFACE Studio,   China.org.cn/China.com.cn