Foreword

Table of contents

Water is the source of life. Through the continuous development and utilization of water resources, human beings have created today's civilization. China has witnessed rapid development over years. It is a principal goal to support the socio-economic development by the sustainable development of water resources. Flood control and disaster mitigation, securing safe drinking water, and how to improve ecosystem, protect environment and obtain clean and low cost power by making the best use of hydropower are key issues and challenges confronting the country in a period in future.

With over 50 years practice in dam construction, China has rich successful experience in hydropower development; 100-meter-high dams, 200-meter-high dams and even 300-meter-high dams have been constructed gradually, and dam construction has played an important role in the process of China's economic and social development. By the end of 2006, there are over 80,000 large and small scale reservoirs in China, in which 5191 dams completed or under construction are higher than 30m. At present, great quantities of large-scale projects are being constructed. Among the dams under construction, we have the Three Gorges Dam which is the largest dam in the world, the 305m Jinping-I arch dam, 292m Xiaowan arch dam, 233m Shuibuya CFRD dam, 216m Longtan RCC gravity dam, 312m Shuangjiangkou Core Rock-fill Dam and many pumped storage power stations. Therefore, the construction and management of dam shoulders heavy responsibilities and there is a long way forward in China.

To review the past and look ahead, Chinese National Committee on Large Dams has organized to compile the book of 揝tate of the Art -- Dam Construction in China? which includes some articles on key problems and technical development of China抯 large-scale projects completed and under construction in recent years, aims to introduce the development and achievement on different types of dam construction in China including gravity dam, arch dam, embankment dam, CFRD dam, RCC dam, and so on, and state policies and thoughts on environmental protection so as to provide a platform for worldwide professionals in water sector to know more about China, strength international cooperation and exchanges, and to promote development of worldwide dam construction and management technology.

LU Youmei
Chairman, Chinese National Committee on Large Dams
May 20, 2008