峭壁上凿出1500公里长“人工天河” 1,500 km canal carved out on steep cliffs in Henan, China

A 1,500 km-long canal was chiseled(凿) out on Taihang mountains in the late 1950s. It was carved out by villagers with only primitive tools(简陋的工具), no heavy machinery(重机械) was used. 

Linzhou(林州) in Henan province has a history of frequent droughts(干旱). In about 500 years before the founding of new China, there has been more than 100 severe water shortages(短缺) in the region. About 1650 people starved to death(饿死) as a result(结果) as one drought from 1942 to 1943. Water was a dream for generations of people in the region. Everyone was happy when, in 1959, Yang Gui, then the local Party Chief, suggested that they themselves build(建造) a canal to divert water(引水). It took the villagers 10 years to complete the massive project(工程). They wrapped(绕) ropes(绳子) around their waists to dig holes(挖洞) in the steep cliffs(悬崖),and blasted(炸开) hard rocks with homemade explosives(自制炸药). About 300,000 people were involved in its construction and 81 people died in the process. Once completed, the canal has changed the lives of local people significantly.

Each year, about half(半数) of the water in Linzhou comes through the canal, mostly for irrigation(灌溉) and industrial(工业) use. People turned richer(富裕) and the ecosystem improved(改善). 

The canal was initially designed to be used(使用) for 20 years, but is still in service today. 

词汇 Words:

[záo] 凿 chisel
[jiàn zào] 建造 build
[shǐ yòng] 使用 use
[gǎi shàn] 改善 improve
[gōng jù] 工具 tool
[jī xiè] 机械 machinery
[gān hàn] 干旱 drought
[duǎn quē] 短缺 shortage
[jié guǒ] 结果 result
[gōng chéng] 工程 project

长度单位 Unit of length:

[wēi mǐ] 微米 micron
[háo mǐ] 毫米 millimeter
[lí mǐ] 厘米 centimeter
[lí mǐ] 分米 decimeter
[mǐ] 米 meter
[qiān mǐ] 千米 kilometer
[chǐ] 尺 equal to 1/3 meter
[cùn] 寸 equal to 1/3 decimeter