Inside the Youth Tunnel at Red Flag Canal: China’s Cliffside Waterway Wonder
Introduction
When you stand on a Taihang Mountain cliff and look down at a silver ribbon of canal snaking along the steep slopes, it’s hard to believe this life-giving waterway was carved by hand more than 50 years ago. The Red Flag Canal is not only hailed as one of the worlds great engineering feats, it is also a living monument to collective will and self-reliance. There are no grand natural rivers here, but the human spirit that challenged the mountain is nothing short of breathtaking.
1. Worlds Eighth Wonder: A Monument Chiseled into Cliffs
The Red Flag Canals soul is its birth from the impossible. In the 1960s, Lin County (now Linzhou) suffered nearly constant droughts. To bring water from the Zhang River, 300,000 local people used hammers, steel drills and controlled explosives to carve a 1,500-kilometer man-made waterway into the Taihang Mountains. Premier Zhou Enlai famously praised: “The Red Flag Canal and the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge are two great miracles of the new China.”
Highlights:
– Engineering Marvel: Of the 1,500 km canal network, roughly 70% runs as suspended channels cut into sheer cliffs, with some sections hanging 50 meters above the valley earning the nickname “the Great Wall of Water on the Taihang.”
– Spiritual Landmark: The Red Flag Canal spiritself-reliance and hard workis inscribed in Chinas revolutionary heritage. The memorial preserves workersworn straw sandals and oil lamps, evoking the determination to “rearrange Lin Countys rivers and mountains.”
2. Youth Tunnel and the Engineering Code
The Youth Tunnel is the canals emblematic centerpiece: a 616-meter tunnel 5 meters high and 6.2 meters wide, blasted through quartz sandstone by a 300-person youth brigade in 17 months. Their grit produced an average tunneling advance of 1.4 meters per daya record born of sheer persistence. Today, a boat ride through the tunnel lets visitors see the original chisel marks clearly lit on the rock walls, like pages of a three-dimensional history book.
Must-do experiences:
– Interactive Learning: At the Watershed Pavilion, a detailed sand model explains the canals design and the principle “one channel divides into three, three nourish ten thousand fields.”
– Immersive Hike: Walk the “Entrepreneur Road,” touch the rock niches where workers once slept, and feel the vertigo of the drop beneath your feet.
3. Taihang Gallery: Where Red Memory Meets Natural Beauty
The Red Flag Canals impact goes beyond engineering; it stitches the Taihangs dramatic landscape with human perseverance:
– Seasonal Scenery: Spring peach blossoms mirror canal waters; summer greenery cloaks the perilous paths; autumn red leaves dress the cliffs; winter snow turns the canal into an ice-carved galaxy.
– Natural Wonders: After rain, you may witness sea-like clouds rising in the Taihang; on clear days sunlight refracts on the water creating rainbow-like halos.
4. Practical Guide: How to Fully Experience the “Channel of Spirit”
Transport:
– From Anyang city, drive about 1.5 hours (approximately 80 km) to the attraction; or take the intercity bus from Anyang to Linzhou, then transfer at Linzhou bus station to the scenic shuttle.
Recommended Routes:
– Half-day Highlights (4 hours): Red Flag Canal Memorial Museum Watershed Pavilion Youth Tunnel (boat experience).
– Full-day In-depth (8 hours): Add Luosi Pool waterfall and a hike through the Entrepreneur Tunnel; watch the Taihang sunset by the canal at dusk.
Tickets and Services:
– Combined ticket CNY 80 (includes Youth Tunnel boat ride); students half price. The park offers Chinese-English audio guides (deposit CNY 200) and bilingual signage in key areas.
Tips:
– The Youth Tunnel area has many steps; wear non-slip footwear. The sites “workerscanteen” serves a rustic dish once eaten by laborers: wild-vegetable cornbread, now upgraded to wholesome whole-grain fare.
– Avoid the National Day Golden Week (Oct 17) and summer weekends when study-tour groups swell.
Conclusion: One Channel, One Spirit, One Unmissable Journey
The Red Flag Canal is not a cold relic but a living museum. Touch the scarred rock, listen to the running water, and you will grasp why “self-reliance” ignited an entire community. Whether you seek history, dramatic mountain scenery, or a powerful lesson in resilience for your children, come with respect and let the Taihang winds remind you how tenacious—and beautiful—human will can be.
