Longyangxia: From Hydropower Landmark to Ecotourism Hub with Industrial Heritage Vitalization

Standing majestically on the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Longyangxia Town, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, the Longyangxia Hydropower Station stretches across the riverbanks. To its west, the Yellow River slows down, forming the vast Longyang Lake embraced by mountains; to the east, water surges over the 178-meter-high main dam, winding forward like a green ribbon, according to Qinghai Daily.

Fifty years ago, construction of Longyangxia Hydropower Station, the first large-scale cascade hydropower station planned on the Longqing section of the upper Yellow River, kicked off, with tens of thousands of builders forging the "Longyang Spirit". Today, relying on its unique resources, Longyangxia Ecotourism Resort has gradually become a new landmark of industrial tourism in Qinghai through the "industrial tourism +" model.

"After its completion, Longyangxia Hydropower Station injected strong momentum into the economic and social development of northwest China. Now, it has become the most unique cultural symbol of our resort," said Liu Mengkai, deputy general manager of Qinghai Longyangxia Scenic Area. Built in 1976, the station boasts a natural river drop of nearly 240 meters, a total storage capacity of 24.7 billion cubic meters and an annual power generation of over 6 billion kilowatt-hours, setting multiple hydropower construction records at that time.

The resort has innovatively revitalized industrial relics, transforming "static display" into "dynamic inheritance". Auxiliary projects from the station’s construction, such as a sand and gravel retaining wall and a conveying channel, have been renovated into an ecological exhibition hall and a leisure corridor respectively. "We do not simply preserve industrial relics, but bring them to life as characteristic cultural resources," Liu added.

Connecting Longyangxia Grand Canyon, Longyang Lake and Tuling Geopark, the 613.97-square-kilometer resort offers tourists a diverse experience of canyon exploration, waterfront leisure and geological wonders with a single ticket valid for three days, People’s Network reported. The 33-kilometer-long grand canyon, known as "China’s version of the Grand Canyon" by netizens, features an 8-kilometer hiking trail, while Longyang Lake, a rare unfrozen lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, presents the romantic "Longyang Fishing Fire" spectacle from August to November.

Ecological protection is a top priority. The resort adheres to the "minimum intervention" principle in infrastructure construction, and has set up a Yellow River ecological protection team to clean up floating debris. "We must let the Yellow River flow away as clean as it comes," said Cai Chengkui, a cleanup team member. The improved environment has boosted local farmers’ income—nearly 80% of the resort’s 150-plus employees are local herdsmen and farmers, including Ma Lin, who returned to run a farm stay and achieved stable income at his doorstep.

From a simple hydropower landmark to an ecotourism hub, Longyangxia is unfolding a beautiful picture of ecological prosperity, industrial development and people’s wealth, where industrial heritage blends with cultural tourism and ecological protection goes hand in hand with common prosperity.