Wuping Reservior in Huaping County, Lijiang
Chinese Name: 华坪县雾坪水库
English Name: Wuping Reservior in Huaping County, Lijiang
Wuping Reservoir is situated 50 kilometers northwest of Huaping County, Yunnan Province, at the source of the Papa River, a tributary of the Yalong River. This medium-sized reservoir serves multiple purposes, including agricultural, industrial, urban water supply, and tourism. The dam of Wuping Reservoir is known as the “Red Flag Canal of Lijiang” and holds the title of the highest soft foundation dam in the world, standing at 52 meters high and 214.5 meters long. On May 8, 2020, it was recognized by Guinness World Records as the “Highest Soft Foundation Dam.”
Development History
- 1970: Construction of Wuping Reservoir commenced. The people of Huaping undertook extensive efforts over ten years, excavating 350,000 cubic meters of earth and rock, completing five tunnels, and building a dual-pipe siphon project that is 580 meters long, along with 28 kilometers of main canals and 78 kilometers of dedicated roads.
- 1980: Challenges arose when experts determined that the dam’s foundation consisted of lake sediment composed of decaying leaves and mud, with a thickness of up to 33 meters. The characteristics of this foundation were described as “three highs and two lows”—high compressibility, high sensitivity, high rheological behavior, and low strength, low permeability. Construction was halted after experts deemed building on the soft foundation impossible.
- Following the suspension of the project, the Huaping County Party Committee and government sought technical assistance from the National Hydraulic and Hydropower Research Institute and the Yunnan Provincial Hydraulic and Hydropower Survey and Design Institute. Detailed geological surveys and technical research were conducted to resolve the issues associated with building the dam on soft ground.
- 1991: Wuping Reservoir was approved as a key construction project under Yunnan Province’s “Eighth Five-Year Plan.”
- 2001: The dam was successfully capped on May 8, and the reservoir has been operational since.
Historical Significance
Construction of Wuping Reservoir began in August 1958 but faced numerous interruptions due to national construction policy adjustments and complex geological conditions. The project resumed in early 1991.
- 2002: The project saw the completion of the dam’s auxiliary facilities and the installation of hydrological observation equipment. Following this, the second phase of the main canal construction commenced. Despite challenges such as a long construction line, heavy workload, tight funding, and complex geological conditions, the second phase was completed by April 15, 2003.
The main canal construction involved the excavation of 589,000 cubic meters of earth and rock, the masonry of 17,000 cubic meters, and the pouring of 20,000 cubic meters of concrete. The dam stands 52 meters tall, with a reservoir capacity of 49.35 million cubic meters, irrigating an area of 77,440 acres.
Wuping Reservoir is a unique engineering feat due to the challenges posed by the soft soil foundation, which measures 15,123 square meters with an average depth of 12.4 meters. The collective efforts of the people of Huaping over 43 years resulted in the creation of this engineering miracle that benefits countless families, embodying the spirit of perseverance, unity, and scientific respect.
World Record
On May 13, 2020, it was announced that Wuping Reservoir’s dam received the Guinness World Record for being the “Highest Soft Foundation Dam” (TM = Trademark) after successfully challenging the record on May 8, 2020. The Huaping County Party Committee and government were recognized as the record holders.
