Water from Taohe River benefits nearly 6 million people in NW China's Gansu

"None of us considered giving up," sighed elderly Liu Fu, from Dingxi city in northwest China's Gansu Province, as he recalled the original Taohe River water diversion project.

In 1958, at the age of 20, Liu joined over 100,000 workers who marched to the construction site of the original Taohe River water diversion project.

Diverting water from Taohe River to quench the thirst of the central region of Gansu Province had long been the cherished dream of generations living in the arid central region of the province. However, due to weak economic conditions and technological limitations at that time, the original Taohe River water diversion project was completely halted after less than three years.

Yet the dream of diverting Taohe River water to the region had already taken root in the hearts of the local people.

Over the following 40-plus years, the Taohe River water diversion project was repeatedly mentioned and studied. In 2006, the project was finally restarted.

Ahead of the Spring Festival in 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the construction site of the project in Weiyuan county, Gansu Province. Thanks to strong national support, the project was fully completed in September 2021, benefiting nearly 6 million residents.

People who once lived in a place where "three bowls of oil couldn't be exchanged for one bowl of water" can now simply turn on their taps and hear the sound of Taohe River water flowing into their homes.