RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN COMMUNIST CHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030032-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 26
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 20, 2011
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: March 1, 1970
• Content Type: IM

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DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence Memorandum
Rural Electrification In Communist China
-ConfidentiaF
ER IM 70-32
March 1970
Copy No. 3
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WARNING
This document contains information affecting the national
defense of the United States, within the, meaning of 't'itle
18, sections 793 and 794, of the US Code, as amended.
Its transmission or revelation of its contents to or re-
ceipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
GRUMP I
t,du kd Irnm aulnn,nI
downllra Jlnry and
r nidmfna Gan
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CONFIDENTIAL -
CENTRAL INTELLIGL'NCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
(larch 1970
Rural Electrification
In Communist China
Introduction
Rural electrification has the potential of in-
creasing the productivity of the huge rural sector
of the Chinese economy in two principal ways: it
can supply an important ingredient for raising crop
yields by improving the control of water, and it is
required for the success of any small plant indus-
trialization in China. In the case of water con-
trol, electricity is used primarily for pumps to
operate irrigation and drainage systems. Most of
the areas where electricity has been supplied in
rural China already :re':e irrigated -- and perhaps
drained -- by primitive equipment. With power-
operated systems, however, large amounts of water
can be moved more quickly and more efficiently than
with primitive equipment, thus greatly reducing the
adverse effects of sustained periods of drought and
flooding (and associated waterlogging). By blunting
the adverse effects of weather on crops and by pro-
viding reliable supplies of water for the applica-
tion of chemical fertilizer; crop yields can be
increased. Similarly, increased electricity is
necessary for any sizable program for establishing
and operating small manufacturing plants which, by
tapping additional raw materials and China's abun-
dant supply of labor, can provide industrial inputs
for agricultural development.
Both of these uses contrast with past practices
in the USSR. Until recently, investment in agri-
culture in the USSR was designed more to save labor
Note: This memorandum was produced solely by CIA.
It was prepared by the office of Economic Research.
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CONFIDENTIAL
than to increase output, and industrialization was
centered around large-scale urban factories. Commu-
nist China's rural. consumption of electric power in
1969 was as large as that of the USSR in 1955. This
illustrates a fundamentally different strategy of
development. The Russians, in effect, wished (but
only partly succeeded) to make agriculture an inte-
grated adjunct of the urban factory system, de-
pending on the cities for material supplies and
consumer goods other than food. The Chinese seem
to be creating a separate, largely self-sufficient
rural economy, leaving the party and government free
to concentrate on a specialized urban development
shaped by strategic objectives. Sending electricity
to the countryside is conceivably a substitute for
sending many other more complicated and expensive
things.
While the potential advantages of rural elec-
trification seem to be recognized within China, and
to some extent are being exploited, it is still a
question whether or not China's leaders will pursue
a rural development program that will make good use
of this potential. This question of course has many
facets and no good means for deriving definitive
answers. Nevertheless, rural electrification is
important as an indicator, even though only a ten-
tative one, of how well the Chinese may be pro-
gressing in rural development. In particular, the
regime appears to be attempting to modernize --
without disemploying -- the vast rural population
with its labor-intensive farming, handicrafts, and
primitive transport, thus reducing the dependence
of the rural sector on the small but highly cap-
italized urban sector of the economy. This memo-
randum relates current developments in the rural
electrification program to those of earlier years,
and discusses the direction the present program is
taking, the progress of this program to date, and
some of the possible economic implications.
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Chronological Developments
in Rural Electrification
Rural Electrification Program Through 1957
1. Before the Leap Forward (1958-60), very
little work was accomplished on rural electrifica-
tion in Communist China. Nearly all rural produc-
tion and processing operations depended on manual
or animal power and even the small amount of me-
chanical equipment used was quite primitive (see
Figure 1). Total rural consumption of electric
Figure 1. Foot-operated irrigation pump in Kwangtung Province. Such equipment--
typical of the primitive equipment used for irrigation before 1958--is still
being used extensively in China. (1963)
power in 1957 was only about 110 million kilowatt-
hours (kwh) and only about 250,000 hectares of land
were irrigated and drained. by electrical systems
(see Table 1). These figures represent about 0.5%
of total electric power production and 0.7 of 1%
of the total irrigated area.
Electrification During the Leap Forward
2. The first major attempt at expanding the
rural electrification program occurred during the
Leap Forward. This attempt was supposed to develop
electrification by construction of both modern and
"native" plants. The modern plants were to consist
of large multipurpose hydroelectric projects built
by the State. The "native" plants were to consist
of thousands of small powerplants -- mostly hydro-
electric -- built by individual communes. Statis-
tically, progress in rural electrification in
1958-60 was impressive; the amount of electricity
consumed increased by about seven times and irri-
gated c.creage increased by nearly six times. By
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Estimated Growth of Rural Electrification
in Communist China a/
Year
Electric Dower
Consumption
(Billion
Kilowatt-Hours)
Installed
Capacity
of Motors
(Megawatts)
Length of
Transmission
Lines
(Thousand
Kilometers)
Area With
Electrical
Irrigation
and Drainage
(Million
Hectares)
1957
0.1
70
5
0.2
1958
0.4
250
16
0.8
1959
0.5
420
24
1.1
1960
0.8
800
38
1.7
1961
1.1
1,100
52
2.3
1962
1.5
1,600
70
3.3
1963
2.1
1,770
88
4.5
1964
2.5
2,050
120
5.2
1965
2.7
2,230
126
5.6
1966
b/
3.1
2,600
146
6.5
1967
3.2
2,600
149
6.6
1968
3.4
2,800
158
7.0
1969
3.9
3,200
180
8.0
a. Data for 1957-65 are either official Chinese Communist figures or
are based on Chinese claims for increases over a given period.
Figures for 1966-69 for areas with electrical irrigation and drainage
are based on estimates of increases by province in 1966-69 over 1965.
The other categories were increased by a similar percentage.
b. Plans for 1966 called for consumption of 3.7 billion kilowatt-
hours, motors with an installed capacity of 3,060 megawatts, trans-
mission lines with a total length of 170,000 kilometers, and an
area of 7.8 million hectares to be irrigated and drained by means of
electric power. Provincial figures indicate that these plans were
underfulfilled by a large margin.
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J.960, the capacity of rural hydroelectric plants
reached 520,000 kilowatts (kw) compared with a
capacity of only 20,000 kw at the end of 1957.
However, the program was beset with many problems.
The large projects were not built as rapidly as
envisioned, and, by 1960, construction of many of
these projects had been halted. The small plant
program also moved more slowly than anticipated;
although the regime planned to build small hydro-
electric stations with a total capacity of some
900,000 kw in 1958, only about 110,000 kw of
capacity actually was built during the year. The
small electric powerplant construction program did
not pick up greatly thereafter, even though a large
number of hydraulic stations* reportedly were built
in 1959-60.
3. The inadequacies of the electrification
systems developed in the Leap Forward era were much
more serious than delays in the program. These
inadequacies were largely the result of faulty
planning, overzealousness, and inadequate technical
knowhow. Thus, many of the small plants and systems
were extremely costly and inefficient and often
failed when most needed. Few of the systems were
able to cope with serious flooding or drought con-
ditions. Such factors as ground water levels,
seasonal rainfall, the need for branch lines, the
amount of good land that would be flooded by res-
ervoirs, and the overall needs of particular
drainage systems were often overlooked in imple-
menting this program. There were many cases of
land being ruined through salinization, decreases
in land available for cultivation, one area bene-
fiting at the expense of another area, increases
in the extent of waterlogging, and excessive
clogging of ditches. In nine regions in North
China using mostly gravity-type irrigation systems,
it was reported that, although the major components
of the systems had been completed, only 20% to 70%
of the ancillary small canals and ditches had been
built. In Kwangtung Province the acreage irrigated
by large reservoirs in 1961 accounted for only 20%
of the planned goal, while that for medium reser-
voirs was some 40% of plan. Nationally, the power
equipment and the pumping equipment installed during
* Hydraulic stations drive pumps or other equipment
directly from the power of water and can include
very crude equipment such as various types of water-
whee is .
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this period were of poor quality and were not stand-
ardized. about 50% of the 25X1
water turbines for rural powerplants were wooden
propellor-type turbines. As late as 1964 the head
of the National Economic Commission noted that about
20% of the power equipment used for farming in China
was inoperable due to the need for repairs, and that
the situation was expected to become worse because
of the many varieties of equipment, the shortage of
spare parts and repair facilities, and the low
operational capacity and technical standards of
plants manufacturing such equipment. Thus, the
statistics probably greatly exaggerated the real
benefits of the Leap Forward program of rural elec-
trification.
Construction in 1960-66
4. While reviewing the state of the economy
after the collapse of the Leap Forward, China's
planners found that the small plant program was not
working and that most of the large multipurpose
projects could not be completed. Even more impor-
tant, they found that a large amount of electric
power capacity was available in the cities which
could be readily used by extending transmission
lines to rural areas. Obtaining electric power
from existing networks has many advantages, in-
cluding the ease with which it can be done, reduc-
tion of costs, and better load distribution. For
example, power from isolated plants in Kiangsu
Province cost users about 0.14 yuan per kwh while
that from the electric power network was only 0.08
yuan per kwh. The limitation of this method is
that power can be sent only a short distance from
the central power source, roughly equal in miles
to the kilovolt rating of the powerline. This
usually limits the distance from main plants to
about 100-200 miles and from main lines to about
30 miles. For a given voltage, the further the
distance, the greater the line loss; thus the
higher the cost. During this period the Chinese
also adopted a priority system for water conserva-
tion construction which gave first priority to
areas densely populated, to areas where output of
food and cotton were proportionally great, and to
areas which suffered most from flood disasters.
Second priority was given to areas where a large
part of the inhabitants were engaged in industry
and which were incapable of producing sufficient
food to support the local population. This priority
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included the lower reaches of the Yellow River where
much usable farm land is washed away by annual
floods. The third priority was to be given to areas
inhabited by ethnic minorities.
5. The new program adopted in the early 1960s
included development of large electrical irrigation
systems in the deltas of the Yangtze and Pearl
Rivers and in Hopeh Province and smaller systems in
Shensi, Shansi, Chekiang, Szechwan, and other prov-
inces (for examples of projects built during this
period, see Figures 2 and 3). The amount of
Water turbine pumps on display in
Hunan Province. These pumps have been
popularized in recent years and are used
to pump water and process agricultural
products. They also can be hooked to
generators to produce electric power.
(1966)
Figure 3. A pumping station in Kwangtung Province. (1965)
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electric power consumed by rural areas increased
from 800 million kwh in 1960 to 3,100 million kwh
in 1966 and the area with electrical irrigation and
drainage increased from 1.7 million hectares to 6.5
million, hectares. Much of the electric power was
provided from large thermal powerplants in cities
via transmission lines extended to adjacent areas.
The remainder of the power was mostly from a few
large hydroelectric plants located in rural areas.
Electricity was supplied from the powerplants to
newly built transformer stations which in turn
served a number of electrical pumping stations.
The pumping stations usually had reversible pumps
which either pumped water from reservoirs to irri-
gate fields or pumped water from the fields to
control flooding or waterlogging. The larger sys-
tems such as those on the Yangtze and Pearl River
Deltas had several alternative sources of power and
included thousands of kilometers of transmission
lines and irrigation canals. In the Yangtze River
Delta, for example, it was reported in 1965 that
the area had 10,000 kilometers of high-voltage
powerlines and that nearly two million hectares of
land were irrigated and drained by electric power.
It was also reported that many areas of the Yangtze
Delta could withstand 100 days without rain and
200 millimeters of rain without flooding (see
Figure 4).
Figure 4. Electric transmission lines for irrigation pumping stations in
Tungting Lake area in Hunan Province. (1965)
6. Between 1960 and 1964, the small plant pro-
gram suffered a severe decline. Many of the plants
were abandoned and only a few new plants were com-
pleted. About 1964, however, effort was renewed to
build small plants in those areas that could not be
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reached by powerlines from major powerplants. This
effort was much smaller than that of the Leap Forward;
more emphasis was placed on sound design and techno-
logical feasibility than in the past, and attempts
were made to standardize and improve the design of
the equipment used. There was also a return to
building hydraulic plants, but after 1960 these
plants used a water turbine pump of more modern
design than the crude turbines used in the hydraulic
plants of the Leap Forward period (see Figure 5).
The costs of this small plant program were borne
mainly by local jurisdictions.
Figure 5. Interior view of electric
pumping station south of
Tungting Lake in Hunan
Province. (1965)
7. The accomplishments of this period in rural
electrification were significant, but not as great
as the statistics in Table 1 imply. Generally,
where the systems were completed, at least partial
protection was afforded against major disasters.
Also, there is evidence of better administration
of the systems and coordination of electrical uses
with other agricultural inputs thereby establishing
the foundation for future increases in crop yields
on a selective basis. However, many of the systems
constructed during this period have not reached full
potential and the amount of power available to in-
dividual households is still very small. Most of
the electric equipment installed replaced other
mechanical or primitive equipment and there was
little net addition to total irrigated area.
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Construction During the Cultural Revolution
?. The electrification program slowed down
during the early part of the Cultural Revolution,
but by 1968 the rural electrification program was
again receiving some impetus. In 1969 the program
gained considerable momentum. Rural electric power
consumption was 3.9 billion kwh in 1969, about 8%
of total production and about 15% over 19 6 8 . Recent
reports claim large increases in electric powered
irrigation, in the number and total capacity of
small hydroelectric plants, and in the length of
transmission lines in certain rural areas of China.
Thus far the current drive appears to be concentrated
on filling out and completing the irrigation systems
started in the early 1960s and on building small
plants in areas that cannot be reached by power-
lines from large powerplants. Some of the projects
under way or completed in recent years are listed
in the Appendix. From meager data available, it is
estimated that the area irrigated and drained by
electrically powered machinery increased by a total
of about 20% in 1968-69 after a virtual standstill
in new construction in 1967.
The Present Program for Rural Electrification
9. The present rural electrification policies
are in many respects reminiscent of the policies
during the Leap Forward. Local funds are to be
used to build the small rural powerplants, peasants
are to be trained to build and operate the plants,
and power is to be utilized in electrified irriga-
tion systems, expanded radio networks, and small
industrial plants. Moreover, dubious goals of
mechanizing farm work in five years have been
announced for some provinces and some of the recent
statistics reported for individual provinces appear
to be exaggerated. However, the Chinese planners
seem to be taking a more pragmatic approach than
during the Leap Forward, equipment appears to be
more efficient and better standardized, and there
is a larger reservoir of technicians than in the
late 1950s. Much of the present effort in water
control is concentrated on making existing systems
more efficient and in providing new irrigation or
drainage systems where they are most needed. While
the results of the recent programs are not statis-
tically as spectacular as those of the past, progress
toward the primary objective -- increased crop
yields -- may have been much greater.
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10, The thrust of this program is perhaps more
the result of necessity than of new directions in
planning. Basically, the easiest areas have already
been electrified. These areas -- within about 100
miles of major sources of ,:lectric power, in gently
rolling or plains regions where pumping needs are
minimal, and in the south where the supply of water
is plentiful -- are being improved. Here the basic
facilities are completed and most of the present
work in water control involves extending canal
laterals and repairing and maintaining the systems.
There is some evidence, however, that work has
begun or is about to begin in the more difficult
areas. The recent stress on establishing water
turbine pumping stations and small hydroelectric
plants in mountain areas may reflect a move in this
direction. Work has apparently been resumed on some
large-scale multipurpose projects that were begun in
the late 1950s; completion of these projects would
enable the Chinese to extend electrified systems
considerably.
11. There is also some work on
medium-size river systems in Honan, Hopeh, and
Shantung Provinces in North China. Work on compre-
hensive control in the huge Yellow River system,
however, is practically at a standstill, and even
the Huai River system, which has been worked on for
about 15 years, has not been completed. In the
north and northwest, such problems as ground water
control, tota'. water supply, and high evaporation
rates are extremely difficult to resolve and solu-
tions depend on major efforts to control entire
river systems.
12. One of the prime differences between the
programs of the early 1960s and the present program
is that most of the systems and plants are to be
built with local funds. The shift in cost bearing
from the State to local jurisdictions started in
1964-65. In larger systems the communes appear to
bear 60% to 90% of the costs with the State absorbing
the remainder. The government usually erects high-
tension transmission lines, substations, and larger
power stations and pumping stations while the com-
munes build small stations and supply the distribu-
tion and utilization equipment in most cases. The
systems are also run by local technicians -- the
"straw-sandaled technicians" -- who are specially
trained for this purpose.
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Uses of Electricity in Rural Areas
Electric Water Control Systems
13. The use of electricity for water control
systems is based on its relative cheapness. On the
basis of statistical data available in 1963, it was
reported that the cost of electrical irrigation
generally amounts to only half the cost of mechan-
ical irrigation and the cost of electrical drainage
amounts to about two-thirds of that of mechanical
drainage.* In the Yangtze Delta the cost of electric
irrigation in 19E7 was 2.3 yuan per mou,** 50% less
than that of mech - .Lcal irrigation and 70% less than
that of manual irrigation. Generally, in -terms of
lifting power it has been stated that a 40-horse-
power diesel engine can lift 120 tons oZ water -to
a height of 35 meters in an hour at a cost of
3.4 fen*** pez ton of water while the cost for
similar lifting by an electric motor is 2.18 fen.
The cost per mou to lift water 17 inters manually
is 16.5 yuan while electric power can be used to
lift writer 26 meters at a cost of 2.9 yuan per mou.
Even though use of electric power for water control
has increased greatly, more than one-half of the
pumping equipment in China is still powered by
nonelectric means -- mostly diesel, steam, and
gasoline engines. In terms of growth, however,
electric power equipment increased nearly 40 times
and nonelectric by only about seven times between
1957 and 1966; the amount of nonelectric equipment
has remained relatively stable since 1960 (see
Table 2).
Other Uses for Electricity in Rural China
14. Although water control uses probably account
for about 80% of the total electricity used in the
countryside, other uses for electricity have been
giver, ncreasing attention. One major use is as
the powe, source in rural broadcasting networks.
The Chinese use radio diffusion networks to carry
radiobrc-adcasts to individual brigades, production
Mechanical irrigation and drainage means irri-
gation and drainage performed through the use of
equipment operated by diesel, steam, and gasoline
engines.
One hectare is equal to 15 mou.
The fen is equal to 1/100 of a yuan.
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Estimated Inventory
of Irrigation Equipment
in Communist China
Million Horsepower
Year
Electrical
Equipment W
Nonelectric 1
Equipment 1
Total ?-
1957
0.09
0.61
0.70
1958
0.33
1.77
2.10
1959
0.56
2.84
3.40
1960
1.07
4.33
5.40
1961
1.47
3.53
5.00
1962
2.13
3.67
5.80
1963
2.36
3.54
5.90
1964
2.73
3.37
6.10
1965
2.97
4.33
7.30
1966
3.47
4.53
8.00
a. Based on installed capacity of electric
motors (see Tab Ze 1) converted from kilowatts at
the rate of one horsepower equal to 0.75 kilowatt.
b. Residual after subtracting the amount of
electrical equipment from the total. Including
equipment operated by gasoline, steam, diesel
fuel, and gas.
c. Based on Chinese Communist claims.
teams, and households. These networks are composed
of radio stations, usually at the hsien (county) or
commune level, which receive and amplify programs
from the national networks and send them through
wires to loudspeakers in the villages. Telephone
and telegraph wires, electric powerlines, and iron
wire are usually used as the transmission mode.
Broadcasting networks are an important means of
political indoctrination and of education. During
the Leap Forward, networks were widely developed
and the number of loudspeakers increased from less
than one million in 1957 to more than 4.5 million
in 1959. The number of radio stations also in-
creased from about 1,700 in 1957 to more than
11,000 in 1959. After the Leap Forward, many of
the co-nmune stations were closed and some of the
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CONK II)EN'I.'1AL
networks fell into disuse. It was still reported,
however, that by mid-1964 there were six million
loudspeakers even though the number of stations had
been reduced to less than 2,000. Around that time
a new effort was begun to extend radiobroadcasting
to rural areas, but the program abated somewhat
during the Cultural Revolution. In 1969, large in-
creases were reported in the number of stations
being built at the commune level, the length of
lines extended in rural areas, and the number of
loudspeakers. It is possible that there are now
as many as ten million loudspeakers operating.
15. Electricity also is important in the country-
side as a source of power for small industrial
facilities. This use was given some impetus during
the Leap Forward but most of the small plants which
used electric power were shut down in the early
1960s. Now there is a drive to build small plants,
particularly those producing agricultural inputs
and processing agricultural products. The average
rate of use of electric power generating facilities
for water control purposes is quite low; thus ample
capacity is usually available for use by these small
industrial facilities.
16. Electric lighting is a fourth major use of
rural electrification facilities, particularly
lighting of individual households. Other uses of
electricity have received some attention from time
to time, including abortive attempts to popularize
electric plows, but these uses arc minimal at
present. Looking to the future, electricity needs
will increase as more modern equipment is intro-
duced -- particularly in the areas of agricultural
processing, poultry raising, dairying, seed and
feed drying, and household chores.
Economic Implications
17. The effects of the present program of rural
electrification on economic development can be
roughly divided into four categories: (1) the
direct effect of the program c.i agricultural pro-
duction, (2) indirect effects on peasant incomes
and technical orientation of the farmers, (3) the
effect on the development of local industries, and
(4) the effect on other sectors of the economy of
channelling resources to rural electrification.
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CONIC I I )EN' I I Al,
18. The most important direct use of electric
power is in water control. The main significance
of water control is in reducing the extent of crop
failures, thus moderating violent fluctuations in
crop yields. Also water control is important for
deriving maximum benefit from other modern agricul-
tural inputs. To increase crop yields substantially,
a combination of modern inputs including water con-
trol is required. The Chinese recently have made
some efforts to combine various agrotechniques
such as seed selection, water control, and applica-
tion of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and
herbicides on an experimental basis. Benefits are
illustrated by claims of increases in yields of
750 kilograms per hectare in the Yangtze River
Delta region after electrical irrigation systems
were established. China has only begun to adopt
this approach on a selective basis, however, and
striking results will not be achieved for some
time to come.
19. Some additional cultivated land can be made
available through new water control systems but the
possibilities are limited because of weather, ter-
rain, and soil factors. Also, in many cases, the
establishment of needed reservoirs takes away more
good land than is added. Thus the best results can
probably be attaiiied by concentrating on increasing
yields on land that is already under cultivation.
20. Rural electrification also affects the
economy of the countryside by indirect means.
Letters from mainland China indicate that the resi-
dents are enthusiastic about the introduction of
electricity in their villages. Household lighting
is particularly attractive to the peasants and
illustrates the advantages of modernization, thus
serving as an incentive to look toward other means
of technological change. The processing of agri-
cultural raw materials by electricity speeds up
this chore considerably and relieves the workload
of the peasants, thus again furthering their in-
terest in technological change. In some cases,
new or additional products are made available and
peasant incomes are increased. The radio diffusion
networks can be important in introducing changes in
the countryside as well as ensuring that the peas-
antry has a proper political orientation.
21. The contribution of rural electrification
to national industrial growth has probably been
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0 CONFIDENTIAL
small. The expansion of industrial facilities in
rural areas has bean minor compared with the amount
of capacity added to modern industry. Some products
produced in the countryside in small plant8 may be
used as raw materials for larger industries but
most are used locally.
22. The effects of rural electrification on
other sectors of tha economy are also felt in the
competition for resources. Despite the claims of
using local funds and resources, much of the ma-
chinery and material used for small powerplants is
obtained from the larger, modern sector industry.
The requirements for ordinary steel, copper, alu-
minum, motors, and electrical machinery must be
significant, not only for building the powerplants,
but also for providing the means to utilize the
power. Attempts are being made to substitute more
abundant materials for those in short supply; for
example, the use of aluminum and stool wire instead
of copper wire and concrete poles instead of wooden
poles. However, these attempts have been only
partly successful and have contributed additional
strain to the capacity of some supporting indus-
tries -- for example, that of the aluminum industry.
Conclusions
23. Since 1957, significant progress has been
made in rural electrification in Communist China.
Electric power consumption in rural areas has in-
creased from 11U million kwh in 1957 to nearly
four billion kwh in 1969; the proportion of total
production has increased from 0.5% to 8%. The area
served by electrical irrigation and drainage has
also increased during this period and at present
perhaps 15% to 20% of the irrigated land in China
uses electricity as a powur source. Most of the
power is used to assist irrigation and drainage
and has resulted in improving the stability of
crop yields as wall as increasing output. Electric
power is also important in expanding radio networks,
providing improved lighting, and operating small
industries in the countryside.
24. The first intensive program for rural elec-
trification occurred during the Leap Forward and
consisted primarily of the construction of thousands
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CON1"1I)EN'I'IAi,
of tiny primitive plants and the start of construc-
tion of a number of large multipurpose projects.
Because of poor planning and haste in construction,
most of the projects were ineffective. After the
Leap Forward, surplus power was available from
modern urban electric power generating facilities
and major transmission linos were extended from
large urban powerplants to rural areas. About 1964
the Chinese again began a drive to build small
electric power installations in the countryside.
Those were to be built mos t?.y in the: hilly and
mountainous areas not reached by major transmission
lines. Most of the largo multipurpose construction
projects begun during the Leap Forward remained
dormant.
25. After a brief hiatus in the rural electrifi-
cation effort in 1966-67, the program was renewed
during the winter of 1967-68. The present program
is similar to that of the Leap Forward in certain
respects, but it is being conducted on a smaller
scale and so far is more carefully planned. A
small plant program with some similarities to that
of the Leap Forward is now being pushed by the
regime, and construction apparently is moving at
a rather rapid pace. Some large-scale electrifica-
tion projects are being built but most of the work
is concentrated on completing and maintaining the
systems built earlier. Also, some work is under
way on expansion of transmission facilities in rural
areas. However, most of the areas that could easily
be served from thermal powerplants in major cities
have already been served. Further develapnicnl of
large integrated transmission networks in more
remote areas will depend on completion of large-
scale river development schemes. Some of the large
hydroelectric schemes, dormant since the Leap Forward,
are again under active construction.
26. Along with expansion of rural electrifica-
tion the present program also emphasizes the ex-
pansion of power utilization equipment. This in-
eludes pumping machinery, radio diffusion networks,
household lighting, and small industrial plants.
Electricity was said to be available in most of
the villages in more thar, half of China's 2,126
%;a ie', at the end of 1965 for use in irrigation
and drainage, processing, and lighting of homes
and schools. Since then additional powcrlines,
small powerplants, and radio diffusion networks
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CONFID1N'11AL,
have boon built in many areas. By extansion of
electric power the peasant workload has been re-
liovod somewhat, the interest of the peasants in
technological change is gradually being aroused,
and state access to rural China is being improved.
27. Rural electrification is likely to continue
to expand. Modernization of water control systems
is essential to any effort to improve crop yields
in a country whore a large part of the equipment
used for water control is still operated by animal
and human power. Progress of the electrification
program may be slowed, however, because the most
suitable and least costly areas have already been
electrified; thus further electrification of rural
areas will be increasingly more expensive and time
consuming.
CONFIDENTIAL
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Selected Acti?:it?.* in Rural Electrification
1967-69
Project and Location DescrictIon.
Huai-pei area (12 Hsien in Anhwei Possibly related to the To River project. In 1969, 650 kilometers of trans nission
Province) lines, 26 power transfo r_er stations, and 42 power-driven irrigation stations were
coopiet=d. Construction is continuing in the area.
Ta-pieh Mountain area in Anhwei Province Built 95 water-turbine pu.-ping stations and 15 hydroelectric stations using water-
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Z To River Protect in Anhwei, Hcnan, and
,.. Kiangsu Provinces
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turbine pu=s. The electric power is used for a radio diffusion ne
(1969 in_fornation).
Part of the Huai River schene. A major canal called the Hsin-pien River was cocpleted
in 1969. This project will help drain water into Hung-tse Lake freeing one million
hectares of land from the nenace of flood and waterlogging. In May 1969 there were
451,000 people working on the project. The Fsin-pien River will also be used for
irrigation by electric punpirg.
plants with a total capacity of core than 40,000 kilowatts. In the three years of
the Cultural Revclut-?cr. the province built snail stations equivalent to all such
stations built in 17 prior years. More that. 85% of the stations were built with
collective funds, si-ple equipment, and local materials. The electricity is used
for electric pupping, electric lighting, and radio diffusion networks.
Sui-ch'ang Hsien in Chekiang Province By July 13u3, 76 -.edit.---size hydroelectric powerplants with a total capacity of
3,50(: kilowatts were co:tpleted. Electric lights and loudspeakers were installed in
2E,000 households, and the acreage of irrigated land was increased substantially.
Fukien Province =ore than 2,000 shall hydroelectric plants with
a total capacity of 50,000 kilowatts have been set t in the hilly areas of Fukien
Province.
Electric power is available in all < _ - and 60% of the co unes and production bri-
gades. Since the Cultural Revolution 20 small-scale powerplants have been built or
rebuilt and -.ore pcwerlines ha.-- been installed than. in the 17 previous years (1969
information) .
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Project and Location Descrintic:n
A total of 30,000 kilometers of high- and low-tension lines have been put up in the
lost two years in the villages (more than all the lines put up before 1967). Also
9:,000 power-operated wells were built, 50% more than the total before 1957. Farm-
land under electrified irrigation now totals 666,000 hectares.
- ' _ the increasing need
about 1,000 small hydroelectric plants have been built. To meet g
for electric wire, the province has set up several small alumii.um plants which use
local raw materials.
Feng-ch'iu Hsien in Honan Province In 1969, 300 kilometers of high-tension lines and 400 kiicmeters of low-tension lines
were built. The power is used to irrigate 12,000 hectares.
Hsia-_ Hsien in Ronan Province Pcwerlines, including a 63-kilometer line from Sui-ho Hsien in Anhwei and 160 kilo-
reters in 13 communes, were completed one year ahead of schedule in 1969. Possibly
related to the To River project.
Hsi-ch'uan Hsien in Ronan Province Cne cc:---une in the county built 12 water-turbine pumping stations enlarging the i:ri-
1 electricity (1965
sated area by 2,000 hectares. Three of the stations can supp y
information).
In October 1969, s 110-kilowatt line and a 35-kilowatt circuit were completed. The
project required 11 months, and will provide electricity for industry and agriculture
:n five counties.
Lan-k'ao Hsien, Honan ?rovir.ce In 1969, the county completed a small electric pumping station on the Yellow Ri' _r to
drain and irrigate 3,000 hectares.
In 1967-69, a total of 827 kilometers of powerlires, 253 transformers with a capacity
,;f 22,600 kilovolt-amperes, a number of powered irrigation stations, and 1,690 pu-ped
wells were completed. T-1 projects serve 26,000 hectares of land.
Yung-ch'eng Hsien in Ronan Province Bailt 600 kilometers of lines in 19 communes in 18 months (1969 information). Possibly
related to the To River project.
Ta-ching River in Hopeh Province Part of the Hai River harnessing scheme. The first state -- to enlarge the capacity
of the Ta-lu-chien channel -- was completed in 1969. it is probable that this project
will use electric power for pumping at a later stage.
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Protect and Location Description
Hunan Province At the end of 1967 the province had installed 16,748 sets of water-wheel pumps which
irrigated 127,000 hectares. The pis also were used to operate 4,600 processing
machines and electric power generators with a capacity of 10,000 kilowatts.
Hunan Province The first high-tension powerline of 220,000 volts was completed in September 1969.
This line is 203 kilometers in length and is to supply power to the central and
northern parts of the province. Possibly some of the power will be used for water
control. Construction of the line began in 1965.
Kuei-tung Hsien in Hunan Province Ey February 1969, the county had 69 power-generating stations and 50% of the brigades
had electric power. Before the Cultural Revolution there were only five generating
stations and less than 10% of the households had electricity.
Stone Horse (Shih-ma) Project in Project was begun in 1966 and by 1967 it benefited several thousand hectares of land.
Hunan Province It has 30 medium and small water-turbine stations and 684 kilowatts of electric power
capacity.
Hilly areas it Kiangs:. Province In the past three years (1967-69) 1,300 small hydroelectric powerplants with a total
capacity of 40,000 kilowatts have been built. This is nine times more than the
capacity built in the 16 years prior to the Cultural Revolution.
Lo-p'ing Hsier. in Kiangsi Province Electric pumping capacity was up from 1,900 kilowatts in 1966 to 3,400 kilowatts in
1969. Processing of farm produce was up five times and electric lighting had increased
by 40%.
Sui-ch'uan Hsien in Kiangsi Province Three big water conservation projects were completed by the end of 1968. The electric
power capacity is 2,000 kilowatts and the irrigated area increased from 2,000 hectares
to 20,000 hectares.
Yu-kan Hsien in Kiangsi Province In the past three years (1967-69), 141 electric pumping stations, four transformer
(south of Po-yang Lace) stations, and 300 kilometers of powerlines have been built. Now one-half of the total
cultivated acreage (of the county) benefits by electrified irrigation and drainage.
Kiangsu Pre-ince A 110-kilovolt transmission line from Hu-si-yin to Hai-chou was completed in early
1969. This 130-kilometer line supplies electric power to four counties and two cities
and will promote industrial and agricultural development in these areas.
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11 Lu-ch'uan Hsien in Kwangsi
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Region
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~-r in Kweichow Province
Mei-chiang River Project in Mei-t'ar.
Hsien, Kweichow Province
Description
In 1968-69, 68 pumping stations with 106 electric motors and 159 kilometers of trans-
mission lines were completed.
A water control project was completed when the third large electric pumping station
began operating in 1969. Work on the project started in 1961. The project can be
used to irrigate and drain 165,000 hectares.
Special districts, counties, and rural communes have built small hydroelectric sta-
tions, and the amount of electricity used for agricultural purposes has doubled
By late November 1969, the county had built 63 small hydroelectric power stations with
a total rapacity of 5,142 kilowatts. Fifty of the plants were built with funds raised
In April 1969, the first stage of the Chao-yang water-turbine pumping station was
completed. At present this project benefits 2,000 hectares and on completion it
will benefit 5,000 hectares.
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By August 1969, power generation projects scheduled to take five years had been
completed in two years. These projects include 395 water-turbine stations with
738 sets of machines that benefit 6,000 hectares.
Of 84 medium water conservancy projects, 50 were built during the Cultural Revolution; i.i
of 41 mechanized pumping stations, 31 were built during the Cultural Revolution; and
cf nine medium and small powerplants, four were built during the Cultural Revolution. r.y
Electric power capacity of rural plants is up 540 kil watts.
In the past two years (1967-68), 12 hydraulic-turbine pumping stations were built and
3,000 hectares of land are protected.
Every production brigade has electric rice and flour mills and all hous-_s except those
in remote mountainous areas have electric licht. In the area, 223 electrically pumped
wells, six small pumping stations, seven river dams, and 31 dikes help to irrigate
over 2,000 hectares (1969 information).
A 110-kilovolt powerline extending 130 kilometers across the Yellow River was completed
in 1969. This line is to supply electricity to the Po-hai Plain for rural use.
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Project and Location. Description
Hai River Project in Shantung Province Some 500,000 people were working on this water conservancy project in the winter of
1968-69. This large project will affect an area containing nearly two million
hectares of faimland in northern Shantung. There is no evidence as yet of the use
of electric power.
Lo-p'ing Hsien in Yunnan Province n large drainage and irrigation station was built, and 130 sets of water-turbine
pumps were installed in 1969.
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