"History of the Development of Huanghua Port" Editorial Office
Today's Huanghua Port is like a bright new star in the shipping industry, shining on the coast of the Bohai Sea. The annual throughput of the coal port area exceeds 100 million tons, and the comprehensive port area has been in operation for just over a year, with a throughput of more than 10 million tons. Giant ships go back and forth, trains shuttle, and roads are as dense as spider webs; industries gather, new cities rise, and the formation of a bridgehead for the new channel of the Eurasian Continental Bridge indicates that its position in the domestic and international shipping landscape cannot be ignored. However, looking back 20 or 30 years ago, this place was still a muddy beach, desolate and remote, with no traffic. What kind of historical opportunity, what kind of human power, turned an ancient desert beach into a modern shipping hub, and realized the illusory mirage in this unexpected place?
Cangzhou people live near the sea. Since ancient times, they have had many dreams of exploring the ocean and going on cross-sea expeditions. But until the late 1970s, all dreams only stayed within the limitations of primitive fishery fishing and offshore barge transportation. It is the tide of reform and opening up that has opened the door to ideals on the Cangzhou coastline. At the same time, it has washed away the Cangzhou people's ideas of being stuck in the past and being conservative and cherishing the past, and has taken the first step towards Bohai Bay .
The end of the "Cultural Revolution", especially the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, injected strong vitality into the development of Cangzhou's coastal economy. In 1979, Cangzhou's grain output reached 1.7125 million tons, the total industrial and agricultural output value was 3.7027 billion yuan, and the fiscal revenue was 4.208 billion yuan (149 million yuan in 1949); by 1982, the grain Although the output has declined slightly (due to the increase in cash crops), the total industrial and agricultural output value has reached 4.186 billion yuan, and fiscal revenue has reached 252 million yuan.
The development of industry and agriculture will inevitably promote the expansion of transportation into wider and newer fields. The construction of Huanghua Port should be an inevitable result of Cangzhou's economic development. But the direct reason is the export demand of Cangzhou raw salt. The coastal area of Cangzhou has relied on the benefits of fish and salt since ancient times. Changlu Huanghua Salt Field has experienced several ups and downs in its development. By the beginning of reform and opening up, the annual output of raw salt had reached nearly 500,000 tons. A small part of the salt was loaded onto trucks and transported westward, while the majority was transported northward to Tianjin Port on five thousand-ton barges, from where it was loaded onto large ships for export to the south. As a result, Cangzhou loses 30 million yuan in taxes every year! For Cangzhou, which was impoverished at the time, this was equivalent to one-seventh of the total fiscal revenue. This caused deep thinking among the leaders of Cangzhou.
"Build your own port", people are recalling which leader first came up with this most practical, direct and "standard" idea in his mind at what time. Extensive interviews proved that this leader was Wang Jingbo, then director of the Cangzhou District Planning Commission.
Wang Jingbo, a native of Gaoyang, Hebei Province, joined the revolution very early. In the 1940s, Wang Jingbo went through life and death with his army, and survived a narrow escape. His right arm was injured in a battle with the Japanese invaders, leaving him with a permanent disability, and he relied on his left hand to write. The baptism of war made him more loyal to the people and the party's cause. After smashing the "Gang of Four", he served as director of the Planning Committee of the Cangzhou District Administrative Office. In 1977, with an eye on increasing Cangzhou's profits and taxes, he proposed building a port on the Dakou River, where local shipping would be organized to transport salt outwards. After that, he first went to Dakouhe for on-the-spot investigation; second, he deepened his ideas and looked for support. Thinking that Shanxi has a lot of coal, and coastal cities are mostly coal consumers, local railways can be built to connect with the Jinpu Line, and it is possible to get financial support from Shanxi. Third, they took action and went to Yangquan, Shanxi in person. As expected, they were warmly welcomed. The Yangquan government immediately sent people to Dakou River to inspect. In the spring of 1979, Jia Zhongxiu, Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province, and Ye Zuqin, Director of the Yangquan Municipal Economic Commission, were invited to visit Dakouhe. Jia Zhongxiu said, it’s great, we support it. In the autumn of the same year, leaders from Hebei and Shanxi negotiated at a trust investment company under the jurisdiction of Rong Yiren in Beijing and reached an agreement on port construction and coal transportation. Both sides agree that if it can be built, build a big one, 10,000 tons! Shanxi proposed that we would save 100 million yuan to transport 100 million tons of coal to our province, and we would pay more to transport more coal. The trust company said that Shanxi will pay and we will pay the rest. But it was not decided in the end.This is because the Shipping Bureau of the Provincial Department of Transportation is in Tianjin and has no experience in port construction. Technical staff said that it is not possible to build a 10,000-ton port at once, and neither the technology nor the funds are available. Even so, it also promoted the construction of Cangzhou port. The fourth is to win the support of the province. On the basis of thinking and investigation, Wang Jingbo organized and drafted a report on applying for building a port on the Dakou River and submitted it to the Provincial Planning Commission and the Provincial Economic Commission. It roughly contained three contents: (1) Thousand-ton ships are currently transporting salt and are operating well; (2) Give the example of Ningbo . Ningbo was a small wharf back then. From small to large, shipping was active. The port construction in Dakou River can exceed that of Ningbo; (3) Compare it with Tanggu Port . Tanggu Port was built by the Japanese in 1933. It was a small 700-ton wharf at the time and later developed into a large port. The distance between Dakou River and the 10-meter depth of the sea water is closer than that of Tanggu Port. It is feasible to build a 1,000-ton wharf first.
Wang Jingbo’s thinking and actions first received the firm support of Yan Guojun, then Commissioner of the Administrative Office. The two old leaders hit it off on the issue of building the port, and finally formed the unanimous opinion of the Prefectural Committee and the Administrative Office: building a port at Dakou River is the gateway to revitalizing Cangzhou’s economy and increasing profits and taxes. Subsequently, a series of powerful measures were taken:
In November 1979, the Cangzhou Port Construction Leading Group was established. The leader was Wang Jingbo. The deputy leader was Zhang Guozhi, deputy director of the regional planning committee. The members were Zhang Zhimin, Xue Jiaming, and Zhao Jun.
On July 20, 1980, the office meeting of the Cangzhou District Administrative Office Commissioners decided to "build a port at Dakou River in Langtuozi, Huanghua County" and agreed to seek instructions from the provincial government. Conference host Sun Huafeng.
On October 8 of the same year, the Cangzhou District Administrative Office officially requested instructions from the Hebei Provincial People's Government on the issue of "building a port at Dakou River in Huanghua County." It stated the natural conditions of the sea entry and considered it suitable for building a port. It is proposed that building a port on the Dakou River will not only reduce the burden on the Qinhuangdao Port, but also save (coal) transshipment costs; it is also proposed that building a port on the Dakou River will transport Huanghua raw salt on site, increasing local salt tax revenue by about 30 million yuan.
It was also in 1980 that the then deputy governor Yue Zongtai visited Dakou Hehai District for on-site inspection and personal experience of the port area. Vice Governor Yue said: Cangzhou has a natural advantage as it faces the Bohai Sea to the east. We are not only doing articles about golden silk Xiaozao , articles about martial arts and acrobatics, but also a big article about Hai! Let’s come up with this article together to build Huanghua Port. He also instructed: The construction of Hong Kong must be scientifically investigated and rigorously demonstrated, and there must be a spirit of high responsibility to the party and the people, without any carelessness or mistakes!
After that, in 1981, 1982, and 1 In 1983 and 1984, the Cangzhou Prefectural Committee and the Administrative Office continued to strengthen their leadership and strengthen their strength on the issue of port construction. In July 1981, the Cangzhou Regional Port Construction Office was established, with Sun Huafeng as director and Wang Jingbo as deputy director. The office has 18 members and 9 technical staff. In 1984, the Cangzhou Region Dakou River Port Construction Headquarters was established. The commander is Shen Zhiming, the executive deputy commissioner. Sun Huafeng is the first deputy commander. Xu Ruilin, deputy director of the Provincial Department of Transportation, and Zhao Fenquan, deputy director of the regional planning committee, are deputy commanders. On the other hand, we continuously requested reports from the Provincial Planning Commission, the Provincial Economic Leading Group, and the Provincial People's Government to describe in detail the geology, geography, and hydrology of the harbor area, as well as the exploration and investigation process and conclusions, and requested support and financial assistance from relevant provincial departments. Sun Huafeng, who was responsible for the main responsibility of building Hong Kong, also wrote a personal letter to provincial leader Ye Liansong. The sincerity of his words, his strong sense of professionalism and responsibility made it moving to read. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government also attach great importance to and strongly support the construction of Cangzhou Port. Executive Vice Governor Ye Liansong gave clear instructions: All documents related to the establishment of a port in Cangzhou must be sent to the leaders for review as soon as possible. The requirements put forward by the Provincial Planning Commission for the construction of Cangzhou Port will be met to the greatest extent possible. The Provincial Construction Investment Company has provided strong financial support for the construction of Cangzhou Port. The Provincial Shipping Bureau actively organized efforts to conduct extensive surveying and deep drilling of the Dakou River channel.
The biggest problem when building a port in the Huanghua Sea is sedimentation. The surging seawater near the Bohai Sea will cause rolling yellow waves when a storm comes. When the storm subsides, a large amount of sediment in the seawater will be deposited, raising the seabed near the coastline or forming huge sand hills where the sea currents turn.This is how the "Banmen Sand" stretching for several kilometers outside the Dakou River was formed. As early as the 1950s, experts from the former Soviet Union listed this area as a restricted area for port construction. They believe that the Yellow River imports 1.2 billion cubic meters of sediment into the Bohai Bay every year, which will definitely affect the Huanghua Sea area. The continuous flow of sediment will mercilessly fill up all low-lying areas on the seabed, and the deep-water channels needed for ports will inevitably be spared. This is a terrible conclusion. If the founders of Hong Kong stick to this "conclusion", they will definitely accomplish nothing.
Fortunately, the people who founded Hong Kong in Cangzhou not only advocated authority, but also advocated science. Is there any relationship between the sediment in the Yellow River and the construction of Huanghua Port? The final conclusion should not be made by the authority of 30 years ago, but by modern science and technology and in-depth investigation and research. This important scientific research task falls on the shoulders of Shi Heng, Dou Guoren, Xu Jingxin, Jia Jianxin, etc. who are also experts and scholars in ports, water transportation, and sedimentation, as well as "authoritative" scientific research institutions such as Tianjin Water Transport Engineering Research Institute and Nanjing Water Conservancy Research Institute.
Shi Heng, a world-class expert in port and waterway engineering construction, is the former vice president and chief engineer of the Water Transport Planning and Design Institute of the Ministry of Transport. Dou Guoren is an authority on international sediment research and management, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the former president of the Nanjing Academy of Hydraulic Sciences. Xu Jingxin, a sediment expert and former deputy director of the Tianjin Water Transport Engineering Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport. Jia Jianxin, former director of the Port Office of the Water Resources Planning Institute of the Ministry of Transport and senior engineer.
These experts, scholars and authoritative institutions have lived up to their trust. Shi Heng once coordinated large-scale hydrological simultaneous observations and organized many academic discussions. Dou Guoren has repeatedly used his scientific research results "Muddy Water Dynamic Model Physics Experiment" to simulate and verify the movement patterns of sediment in the Huanghua Sea. His professional paper "On the Sediment Problem in Huanghua Port" used rigorous scientific arguments to assert: (1) "The coast of Huanghua Port is stable and has the conditions to build a deep-water port"; (2) It is not affected by the sediment of the Yellow River; (3) There is no major sudden siltation problem, etc. Xu Jingxin disregarded his advanced age and resolutely embarked on the arduous trek to the beach. On May 7, 1984, Xu Jingxin, the veteran director of the institute, led his staff on a small fishing boat and set off from the mouth of the Dakou River. They observed and collected sediment samples in the wind and waves all the way to the estuary of the Yellow River. They drifted for 10 days and obtained more than 1,000 laboratory data. In order to study the sediment problem, Jia Jianxin has lived on the coast of Bohai Beach for a long time. He did not go home for three consecutive Spring Festivals and obtained a wealth of first-hand information.
With first-hand information and rigorous scientific demonstrations, scientists have come to an irrefutable conclusion: the sedimentation near Huanghua Port is caused by wind and waves and tidal currents transporting sand, and has nothing to do with the current sediment in the Yellow River. With sufficient evidence, the scientists have overturned the "forbidden zone theory" and cleared the fundamental obstacles for the Huanghua Port project.
In mid-June 1982, the Ministry of Transportation agreed to allocate 2 million yuan to excavate the Dakou River channel, and assigned the Yangtze River Shipping Bureau of Transportation to dredge No. 2 and No. 6 ships to enter the Dakou River for on-site operations in mid-July. The trial channel excavation project officially started on July 15. From May to July 1983, after many efforts, the Ministry of Coal and the Provincial Coal Department signed an agreement: to transport 400,000 tons of affordable coal to the Ministry's local departments every year, and the local departments raised 22 million yuan for the construction of Huanghua Port and Cangzhou Local Railway (Shahutong to the port). At this point, the construction funds and supply of goods for Huanghua Port have been basically secured.
In August 1984, the 1,000-ton terminal project of Dakouhe Port was officially established. Two years later, in August 1986, the port was completed and put into operation and was renamed Huanghua Port. So far, Hebei Province has its first local commercial port. Two years later, the 3,000-ton terminal broke ground and was completed and put into operation in early 1992. After that, after going through the "Eight Ports Comparison and Selection", repeated demonstrations and various preparations, on November 25, 1997, the Huanghua Dagang and Shuohuang Railway was announced by Premier Li Peng of the State Council to officially start construction.
Looking back on the early construction process of Huanghua Port, we will never forget the care and support of the central and provincial leaders; we will never forget the unremitting efforts and relay efforts of regional leaders such as Yan Guojun, Wang Jingbo, Sun Huafeng and their subsequent successors Guo Shujian and Zhao Jinduo; we will never forget the selfless dedication of entrepreneurs and builders in the early days of the establishment of the port; and we will never forget the hard work of many experts and scholars.When conditions were unavailable and very difficult, the first idea that came up, the first decision that was made, the first data that was collected, the first shovel of soil that was shoveled, and the first stone that was thrown all had groundbreaking historical significance. The gathering of these "firsts" should be the starting point for us Cangzhou people to move from the Grand Canal to the Bohai Bay, and create the immortal port-building spirit, which is worth remembering forever.
