Preface
In 2006, a reporter found two old generators in a cave in Guizhou, and through the mottled traces, it was found that they were actually American products in the 40s of the last century.
Although it seems to be "dusty", the buzzing sound still in the ears proves that this "old guy" is still working.
As soon as the news broke, the United States was also shocked and spent millions of dollars in an attempt to "buy back."
However, the Chinese side politely refused, because these two machines are not only participants in Chinese history, but also witnesses of the industrious wisdom and revolutionary spirit of the Chinese people.
An 80-year-old generator that was accidentally discovered
In 2006, when mainland geologists were on a survey mission in the southwest, they accidentally discovered two dark generators in a cave in Guizhou.
The old style and mottled rust all indicate the "old dragon clock" of these two guys, and when you brush the dust off the machine, you can see that the scratched fuselage body is impressively presented with vermilion characters "No. 1", "No. 2" and a clear steel stamp "MADE IN U.S.A year 1942".
In other words, these two machines are 80 years old, and what is even more amazing is that these two old iron bumps, still buzzing, are still performing the power generation work that has been going on for 80 years......
In addition to expressing surprise in China, General Electric, the "old owner" of the two equipment, did not hesitate to spend $5 million, expressing the hope of buying back the two machines.
"This is a representative of American industrial technology!"
In the face of the lure of heavy money from the United States, the mainland politely refused: "This is a testimony of Chinese history." ”
So why did two American-made generators come to China 80 years ago, and what history did they bear?
Uncover the veil of history
Back 80 years ago, in 1937, it was the most humiliating period of Chinese history.
At that time, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out and the all-out War of Resistance began, but due to the disparity in strength between the two sides, we had to temporarily retreat to the southwest.
Withdrawing together, there are also the mainland's military industrial forces, although carrying these heavy equipment makes the retreat more difficult, but these machinery and equipment are the basis for the nation to sound the horn of counterattack, if we can't even make guns, what can we do against the invaders?
The two generators buzzing in the cave today are the main power equipment of the No. 41 Plant of the Ordnance Industry Administration of the Ministry of Military Affairs that once provided a large number of guns and ammunition for the nation.
So why was the arsenal built in a cavern, and how did such "bulky" electrical equipment move in at that time?
Flesh-and-blood arsenals and hydroelectric power plants
In December 1939, the Japanese army in northern Guangdong invaded the north on a large scale, and the No. 41 Factory of the Ordnance Industry Administration of the Ministry of Military Affairs, which gathered a large number of military technology and major equipment on the mainland, quickly disassembled and packed important machinery and equipment under the advance planning of patriotic engineer Zhong Daoqiang, and transported them to Tongzi County, which is surrounded by the peaks of the Dalou Mountains on the Qianbei Plateau in Guizhou.
It was also a helpless move to choose the location of the military factory here, because at that time there was a huge disparity in military strength between the two sides, and our military factory had to "hide in Tibet".
Tongzi County, surrounded by mountains and constantly cloudy, was able to prevent the reconnaissance of enemy planes to a large extent.
Moving the arsenal to the cave can resist air raids to the greatest extent and provide a safer production environment for the national armed forces.
However, it is not easy to "expand the capacity and build a factory" in the cave, because on the one hand, there is a huge amount of work and a contractor that cannot be found at all, and on the other hand, there are front-line troops who are in urgent need of ammunition support in bloody battles.
Therefore, in order to provide support to the combat troops as soon as possible, Zhong Daoqiang led the employees and families of the whole factory to start "building the factory with bare hands".
There was no bracket replaced by bamboo, and there was no iron roof for the roof, and under great risk and construction intensity, in August 1940, the 41st Factory had begun to resume the production of Jack light machine guns and medium formal rifles.
But then came the problem, although everyone was full of enthusiasm, because the main transportation routes were almost occupied by the Japanese invaders, the fuel could not be stably transported to the arsenal.
As a result, the two high-power diesel generators in the factory could not be "fired at all" at all, and the output of the arsenal could not meet the needs of the front line at all.
As a result, Chung decided to take advantage of the local terrain and try hydroelectric power.
As soon as this idea was proposed, a group of patriotic scientific researchers went to Guizhou to assist in the work.
So in 1942, Chen Zudong (Waffle), a member of the Chinese Society of Engineering and Hydraulic Engineering Society and a professor of Peking University, served as the chief engineer, and the patriotic young people of Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Northeastern University, Northwest University and University of Technology jointly participated in the design of the Tianmen River Hydropower Plant.
"We also need the most advanced power generation equipment in the world. ”
Therefore, at the same time as the construction of the hydropower plant, the procurement of equipment was also put on the agenda.
An American generator that trekked through mountains and rivers
The Tianmen River Hydropower Plant plans to purchase the latest 720 kilowatt generator built by the American Strange Company (now General Electric) in 1942 and a medium-sized hydro turbine with a total horsepower of 1,000 horsepower manufactured by the Lefeil Company.
The complete plant, which was originally scheduled to be delivered in June of that year, also went through many hardships.
Due to the spread of war in the Pacific, the United States and Japan are also inextricably linked, so the entire international traffic is blocked.
After repeated negotiations with the Chinese side, the United States had no choice but to send the machine to India by sea, in a large circle, and after many negotiations with the Indian side, the US Air Transport Department in India finally assumed the heavy responsibility of cross-border transportation.
However, this is only a diplomatic way to open up, and it is even more difficult to actually transport it.
First, this set of electrical equipment was too heavy, and it could not be lifted at all with the kinetic energy of the aircraft at that time.
The total weight of this set of electrical equipment is more than 100 tons, and the movement alone weighs 3 tons.
This not only greatly increases the transportation cycle, but also adds a lot of trouble for subsequent assembly, after all, this latest technology equipment is completely foreign to us.
And the U.S. military, which is responsible for the transportation, is also in charge of delivery, and even if it wants to, it is afraid that it will not be able to help.
Second, the only shipping route that was not blocked by Japan at that time, the "hump" route of the Himalayan Mountains, was steep and abnormal.
The Hump, which runs from the Tingjiang River in Assam, India, to Kunming, China, was the longest, largest and most difficult air transport route during World War II.
Due to its high altitude and large drop drop, the "Hump" not only has to face natural phenomena such as heavy rain, lightning, and hail that may occur at any time, but also has to guard against the attack of Japanese interceptor planes that may occur at any time.
It can be described as extremely dangerous, and because the equipment is transported in batches, a slight difference, even if only a small part of the equipment is dropped by an aircraft, it may cause the assembly failure of the entire power generation system.
The worst result is that from the first hoe we excavated the hydropower station, all the previous efforts were wasted.
Therefore, under the cautious detection, the equipment was carefully dismantled and transported to the mainland, and then loaded by trucks and sent to the destination.
By the time the unit was fully installed, it was already April 1945.
With the completion of the installation of the unit, the dam, which had been surrounded for three years, was officially transformed into an advanced hydropower station with an area of more than 100 acres and a water storage of more than 400,000 cubic meters.
The No. 41 Factory, which was injected with new power, was at full firepower, providing a steady stream of guns and ammunition for the Chinese army's final counterattack against the Japanese invaders.
The roar of the two generators at the Tianmen River Hydropower Plant is the clarion call for the Chinese people to resist national aggression and continue to fight.
A power plant that uses waste heat
As China's earliest karst underground power station, the Tianmen River Hydropower Plant and these two generators not only provided support for the revolutionary armed forces on the mainland, but also inspired more Chinese people with their indomitable spirit with their difficult construction process.
With the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Tianmen River Hydropower Plant has shouldered a new mission.
During the operation of the factory, a technical school was set up in the field, which not only provided skills transfer for the factory employees, but also gave everyone remedial cultural classes, so that everyone could understand the power of knowledge.
At the same time, Tianmenhe Hydropower Plant has always adhered to the mutual exchange of talents and technology, and constantly selected in-service employees to go out for exchange and study, which has created a good academic atmosphere for China's power development.
Tianmen Hydropower Plant has always been responsible for its own "power generation", because of its strong power, not only the surrounding residents can be guaranteed electricity, but also attract a number of enterprises to come to build the plant, for the local economic development has made great contributions.
And over time, the hiccups brought about by the gradual "aging" of the two generators also witnessed the independent breakthrough of China's industry.
A generator that has witnessed the growth of China's industry
Due to the special background of the two generators when they were purchased, the United States did not provide us with follow-up technical support, and due to the harsh transportation conditions, it was impossible to talk about accessories.
So as time goes by, the equipment is getting older and the parts are gradually wearing out, and the work of these two generators is becoming more and more "difficult".
So China tried to ask the United States for technical support, but with the end of the war and the changes in the world pattern, the United States began to be hostile to our "socialist country".
They are not willing to help, nor are they willing to provide replacement parts.
Chinese who have survived thousands of hardships will not be trapped by a few small parts, so the two teachers of the hydropower plant, Li Xiaojiang and Zhao Xianyang, rely on their exquisite skills and understanding of the two machines for decades.
A new set of "replacement parts" was configured, and it was surprising that when these homemade parts were replaced by two "breathless" generators, the pleasant roar sounded again!
The two machines were running like flying, as if the old man in the twilight had regained his eighteen-year-old firepower, and at that moment, the old man in the factory also flashed back countless pictures of the past.
And this voice symbolizes China's tenacious and self-reliant roar, which has been resounding to this day.
epilogue
It is said that General Motors of the United States was able to spend $5 million to buy back the "classic machine" in the 90s, and the sincerity was already very sufficient, and the $5 million could also be a considerable development force for China at that time.
But only we Chinese ourselves understand that the value of these two machines does not lie in how much electricity they can produce and how much profit they bring, but in these two iron lumps, like monuments outside the factory, telling the history of China's endless struggle.
Moreover, these two machines, along with the hydropower plant, are listed as protected cultural relics, and the roar of the machines that is still remembered will continue to inspire generations of Chinese to strive for excellence.
Resources
Zhong Dao-kai and the Forty-One Arsenal
Hump Line - Baidu Encyclopedia
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