Chen Xing (hydrologist)

Chen Xing (Chinese: 陈惺; July 1921 – 15 May 2009) was one of China's foremost hydrologists involved in the design the Banqiao Dam.[1] He was notable for being the whistleblower that had warned others about flaws in the Banqiao design and even predicted the 1975 Banqiao Dam failure.

In the 1980s, Chen Xing became the first Chinese to join Agri-Energy Roundtable (AER) board and successfully mobilized resources to develop central China during the Chinese economic reform.

Life

Chen was born in Nanjing[2] and was a vocal whistleblower and critic of the government dam building policy, which involved many dams in the basin. He had recommended 12 sluice gates for the Banqiao Dam, but this was scaled back to 5 and Chen Xing was criticized as being too conservative. Other dams in the project, including the Shimantan Dam, had similar reductions of safety features and Chen was removed from the project.[3] In 1961, after problems with the water system surfaced, he was brought back to help. Chen continued to be an outspoken critic of the system and was again removed from the project. However, not listening to Chen turned out to be a mistake.

As Chen had warned, in August 1975, both Banqiao Dam and Shimantan Dam failed when deluged by Super Typhoon Nina. The two dams' failure destroyed 60 more dams downstream. Others realized that Chen Xing had been correct all along and they were wrong to criticize him.

In the 1980s, Chen participated in the Agri-Energy Roundtable (AER), attending and speaking at several conferences on the world stage and becoming the first Chinese to join AER's board. In 1984 Chen worked with his provincial governor, He Zhukang, to invite an international investment mission, later organized by AER, which proved successful in attracting world attention to the resources and opportunities in central China.

He died in May 2009 at the age of 87.[4]

See also

References
  1. Watkins, Thayer. "The Catastrophic Dam Failures in China in August 1975". San José State University, Department of Economics.
  2. "一位老专家的反思: 科学治水得水利 不科学治水得水害]" [Reflections of an old expert: Scientific water management gives us control over water; unscientific water management brings water disasters]. 2006-02-27. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018.
  3. Yi, Si (1998), "The World's Most Catastrophic Dam Failures: The August 1975 Collapse of the Banqiao and Shimantan Dams", in Dai, Qing (ed.), The River Dragon Has Come!: The Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's Yangtze River and Its People, M.E. Sharpe, pp. 25–38, ISBN 9780765633392
  4. Wu, Tianyong; Yao, Wenshi; Fu'an; Jin, Huimin (2009). "坚持科学治水的一代典范——深切怀念良师益友陈惺同志" [Adhering to a generation model of scientific water management-deep memory of mentor and friend Comrade Chen Xing]. 河南水利与南水北调. 11.
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