Water is a big issue to everyone in every country, because water is the basis for living and the fundamental resource for a country’s development. As one of a few Chinese students in geography major in UC Berkeley, I am trying to connect what I have learned in class to the current situation in my home country, China. Although in Geography C135 we have learned different water issues and relative water sciences and most of the cases we contacted are of United States, we still learned the basics about China South-North Water Transfer Project in the lecture about dams.    

 

In Chinese news, a few year ago, South North Water Transfer Project was always a hot announcement locally or nationally. However, as time passes, China becomes more and more globalized, and rapid economic development dominates the image of China in the world. Fewer people pay attention to the project which “quietly” supports the water needs of China. As a Chinese, I couldn’t deny the greatness and the giant effort from all people who devote into the project, from workers to engineers and planners. Honestly, it is a giant project for not only the large scale of construction or inputs of labor and financial costs, but also for the social, environmental and economic impacts behind the project. It is not just about diverting water from southern China to northern China in order to make so-called even water distribution, it is also showing how the country is operating to develop through a practice regarding to water. Reading through the water transfer project, I saw the image of China both positively and negatively. Actually, I think it is a miniature of all China’s development strategies and it is also a typical example of the projects for encouraging development after the state being founded in 1949.

 

Anyway, I will be fair to look at the project itself and also the story of the project to give you a diversified perspective to judge the project. And finally welcome to China if you really want to see what China looks like with South North Water Transfer Project.