On the occasion of International Labor Day on May 1st, 2025, the Hongqi Canal celebrates its 60th anniversary of the main canal's water supply. More than 60 years ago, 100000 laborers in Lin County, Henan Province, fearlessly faced difficulties and had high fighting spirit. With their hands and hard work, they carved out an "artificial Milky Way" among the cliffs of Taihang Mountain, creating a human miracle of cutting mountains and rivers to divert Zhang and reshape mountains and rivers. They forged the spirit of "self-reliance, hard work, unity and cooperation, and selfless dedication" in the Red Flag Canal. Time passes by, and the hymn resounds loudly. At the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the All China Federation of Trade Unions and the National Commendation Conference for Model Workers and Advanced Workers, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "the times are different, and the mission and tasks have changed, but the spirit of hard work, unity, and unremitting struggle will never change." Today, the Chinese people are vigorously advancing on a new journey of Chinese style modernization, creating a better life through labor and writing a new chapter in the times through struggle. Hongqiqu Memorial Hall in Linzhou City, Henan Province (taken on March 25, 2025, drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hao Yuan: Labor changes destiny - "The Hongqi Canal is a monument that records the heroic spirit of the people of Lin County who refused to accept their fate, refused to accept defeat, and dared to fight the heavens and earth." Lin County, now Linzhou, is located in the hinterland of the Taihang Mountains. In the Hongqi Canal Memorial Hall, a large manhole cover with deep grooves worn by a water rope tells the story of the difficulties faced by the people of Lin County in obtaining water. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, 307 out of 550 administrative villages in the county had difficulty accessing water for their people and livestock. In order to survive, people in Lin County have to cross mountains and valleys, and travel long distances to fetch water. I would rather work hard than endure hardship. Splitting the Taihang Mountains, the Zhang River flows through the mountains. ”The county issued a mobilization order to lead Zhangzhou into the forest, and people rushed around to inform each other, rubbing their fists, and sending letters of determination and invitation to fight like snowflakes flying towards the command center. Over the course of 10 years, 100000 laborers gathered, flattened 1250 mountain peaks, opened 211 tunnels, and carved out a 1500 kilometer river of life on the cliffs. Six workers stepped forward together, their muscles tense and full of strength, lifting a stick to pry open a huge rock... A sculpture in the memorial hall presents the hot labor scene of repairing a canal back then. I was the youngest builder on the Hongqi Canal construction site at that time, only 13 years old. ”Zhang Maijiang, a 76 year old model worker in the construction of the Hongqi Canal, said. The stones on the Taihang Mountains are extremely hard, and in some places, steel drills stand upright on them. After a few hammers, only a few white spots are left behind. In the construction section of Youth Cave, the construction team went through many twists and turns and borrowed a wind drilling rig from Luoyang. However, after only drilling 0.3 meters, more than 40 drill bits were damaged. With a hammer, a chisel, and a pickaxe, the people of Lin County cut through the Taihang Mountains. Amidst the scorching heat and extreme cold, living on rocky cliffs, staying in mountain caves, and even digging wild vegetables, harvesting aquatic plants, and picking leaves when food is scarce... Due to long-term hunger, fatigue, and nutritional deficiencies, many people suffer from severe edema, but they do not retreat and still persist in the front line of construction. In the memorial hall, the top of a wall is engraved with the names of every victim of canal repair. Among the 81 victims, there were migrant workers and officials. Among them, the oldest is 60 years old and the youngest is only 17 years old. On the list of victims, Zhang Maijiang's father was prominently listed. Not long after the construction of Hongqi Canal started, my father was hit in the head by flying stones, "Zhang Maijiang said. His mother sent him to the canal repair site and entrusted him to fulfill his father's unfulfilled wish and carry out the canal repair to the end. To have the great ambition of sacrifice, daring to teach the sun and moon to change the sky. On October 28, 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Red Flag Canal Memorial Hall in Anyang, Henan Province, and pointed out that the Red Flag Canal is a monument that records the heroic spirit of the people of Lin County who refused to accept their fate, refused to accept defeat, and dared to fight against heaven and earth. Only by not accepting fate and refusing to accept defeat can one change their destiny. On April 5, 1965, the main canal of Hongqi Canal was officially opened, and the gurgling water of the canal smoothed out the pain in the hearts of the people of Lin County. The construction of Hongqi Canal has completely changed the history of "nine droughts in ten years" in Linxian County, solving the problem of water supply for 567000 people and 370000 livestock. The irrigated land area in the county has expanded from less than 10000 mu to 600000 mu. Over the past 60 years, the Hongqi Canal has diverted more than 13 billion cubic meters of water, irrigated over 47 million acres of farmland, and increased grain production by 8 billion kilograms. A year has passed, and the Hongqi Canal has never stopped flowing. It not only irrigates the fields, but also nourishes the enthusiasm and hard work of the people in Linzhou. People in Linzhou always compare themselves with the construction of the Hongqi Canal. They often say, "The Hongqi Canal has been completed, what difficulties cannot be overcome?" As soon as Yu Linying, the village branch secretary of Miaohuang Village in Huanghua Town, took office, he proposed to "let the people of Miaohuang leave with their faces up. Relying on the Hongqi Canal, developing rural tourism is a way out. We can do whatever we want and start the whole village renovation. The village had just been renovated and Yu Linying was diagnosed with cancer. Leave it for a while, I won't even close my eyes until I die. I have to finish this matter, "Yu Linying shrugged again, working even harder. Nowadays, Miaohuang Village has been rated as a 3A level tourist attraction and selected as a beautiful leisure village in China. Last year, the tourist flow reached about 200000 people. Over the past 60 years, the canal has surged, breaking through the treacherous Taihang Mountains and crossing over the developing Guanshan Mountains. For four consecutive years, Linzhou has been ranked among the top 100 counties (cities) in terms of comprehensive competitiveness in the national county-level economy, with an economic growth rate of 6.7% in 2024... Through hard work and struggle, Linzhou, with its mountains and barren land and scarce resources, has been able to change its destiny and create brilliance time and time again. Labor for the benefit of future generations - "Socialism is achieved through hard work, hard work, and sacrifice, not only in the past, but also in the new era." April 28, 2025, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Listening to General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech on site, 39 year old employee Wei Fengxia of Henan Guangyuan New Materials Co., Ltd. was filled with excitement. On that day, she accepted the commendation of the party and the state, and became a national model worker and exemplary individual. My grandfather repaired the Red Flag Canal, and my father repaired it. I have been listening to stories about the spirit of the Red Flag Canal from my elders since I was young. ”Wei Fengxia said. When Guangyuan New Materials was established, Wei Fengxia became one of the first employees. Here, the spirit of Hongqi Canal is the spiritual driving force for the development of enterprises. The spirit of Hongqi Canal is our greatest driving force for development. ”Li Zhiwei, Chairman of Guangyuan New Materials, said so. More than 10 years ago, Li Zhiwei entered the field of electronic grade fiberglass, dreaming of building a world-class enterprise in the field. Just as the company is making great strides and its listing is imminent, it encounters a period of low industry development. Guangyuan New Materials has incurred losses and its listing has been suspended, facing a difficult situation. In the face of difficulties, the company's innovation investment has not stopped. At that time, I was burning money, it was a bit too hot to hold on, "Li Zhiwei gritted his teeth and gritted his teeth as he looked forward to the future. In 2024, the artificial intelligence industry will make rapid progress, and Guangyuan New Materials' newly developed low dielectric products will experience hot sales, turning losses into profits in one fell swoop. This year, the company has ignited three new production lines, getting closer and closer to the original goal. What has a Red Flag Canal left for future generations? In October 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during his visit to the Red Flag Canal Memorial Hall: "We must use the spirit of the Red Flag Canal to educate the people, especially young people. Socialism is achieved through hard work, hard work, and sacrifice. Not only in the past, but also in the new era." On April 5, 2025, students conducted a study tour at the Red Flag Canal Youth Cave in Linzhou City, Henan Province (drone photo). During the construction of the Hongqi Canal, a team of 300 young people formed an assault team. After a year and five months of hard work, they successfully chiseled through the treacherous and rocky rock walls. This water conveyance tunnel was named the Youth Cave. Here, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the younger generation should inherit and carry forward the spirit of hard work, self-reliance, and arduous struggle, abandon arrogance and coquettishness, and like our predecessors, engrave their youthful passion on the monument of history. Zhang Xueyi, also known as "Qu San Dai", is currently the director of the Hejian Management Office of the Hongqi Canal Irrigation District Service Center. One day on the canal, I must watch over, protect, and manage the canal well. ”Time flows through the relay of three generations of ancestors and grandchildren, and Zhang Xueyi's belief in protecting the canal remains firm as ever. According to statistics, the total length of the Hongqi Canal system reaches 1525.6 kilometers, with 48 reservoirs and 346 ponds, forming an irrigation system of "vines and melons". In recent years, the water conservancy department has consolidated the backbone canal system, improved measuring equipment, restored and improved the irrigation area of 350000 mu, and saved 12 million cubic meters of water annually. Over the course of 60 years, the flowing water of the canal has benefited generations of Linzhou people and witnessed the heroic steps of changing the world, inspiring more Linzhou children to strive for excellence in their new journey. Li Yuan, born in 1997, is currently teaching at the Hongqi Canal Cadre College and has taught over 10000 students from all over the country. During the teaching process, more than one person asked her: Can we still build the Hongqi Canal now? Each generation has its own Long March. ”Li Yuan said that the hard work of predecessors has created a comfortable environment for contemporary youth, and contemporary youth should also use hard work to win opportunities for the future in the new era. "Everyone can build their own 'Red Flag Canal'. Labor creates the future - "Achieving the second centenary goal is a matter for one or two generations. We are at the right time and cannot be let down. We must make contributions to our generation." Today, looking up at the cliffs and cliffs on the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, people can still vaguely see more than 300 "cannon holes" carved out by Lin County people with steel drills, silently telling the magnificent chapter of self-reliance of workers 60 years ago. 60 years, one year later, Hongqi Canal is heading towards the future. Now, the Hongqi Canal digital twin platform has been launched and put into operation, realizing the transition from flood irrigation to precise irrigation, from manual management to intelligent control. After all the digital twin systems are put into use, the application time for water use in Hongqi Canal will be shortened from 2 days to 2 hours, and only 2 specialized personnel will be needed for every 10000 mu of irrigated area. The management methods of the irrigation area will be more advanced, and the operation and maintenance will be more efficient. The future relies on labor and hard work to create. Workers are carrying out installation and commissioning operations in the hydraulic support assembly workshop of Linzhou Heavy Machinery Group Co., Ltd. (photo taken on March 19, 2025). In October 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during his inspection of the Hongqi Canal that achieving the second centenary goal is a matter for one or two generations. We are at the right time and cannot let it down. We must make contributions to our generation. Starting from a rural blacksmith shop by the Hongqi Canal, Fengbao Special Steel has gone through hardships and has now developed into a globally leading seamless steel pipe enterprise in terms of production and sales volume. However, in previous years, the industry as a whole declined and the company's prospects were bleak. Refusing to accept fate and accept defeat, with strong government support, the company has launched a new unit to fill the world gap in the production of small-diameter hot-rolled seamless steel pipes. ”The company's general manager, Li Jingmin, said that the company's products have been successfully upgraded and have also been shortlisted for the 2024 Top 500 Private Manufacturing Enterprises in China. What kind of posture and effectiveness should we adopt to face the older generation of 'canal builders' who have left us valuable wealth? ”Sun Jianduo, Secretary of the Linzhou Municipal Party Committee, occasionally asks himself. As the hometown of Hongqi Canal, Linzhou has cultivated countless skilled craftsmen after ten years of canal construction. After the reform and opening up, the construction industry filled the stomachs, earned money, changed their brains, and provided ideas for the people of Linzhou, paving the way for a new path to wealth and earning Linzhou the reputation of "the hometown of Chinese architecture". Quality first, take responsibility to the end. No matter the size of the project, you can't ruin the reputation of Hongqi Canal! ”Guo Yongliang, the general manager of Linzhou Hengrui Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., who started his career as a bricklayer, still remembers his father's advice to him 30 years ago when he went out to work. My father was one of the craftsmen who built the Hongqi Canal back then, Guo Yongliang