Liujiaxia Hydroelectric Power Station

Since its completion in 1974, the station has been the first large-scale hydropower station in China and noted”a pearl in Huanghe River”. Stretching from Liujiaxia dam in the east to Binglingsi Gorge in the west, Liujiaxia Reservoir lies in a southwest-northeast direction. It borders Dong Xiang (East Township) and Linxia County to the south, Yongjing County to the north. Its shoreline reaches 55 km long and it is about 6 km at its widest point. The water area covers 130 square kilometers, and the water storage is more than 5.7 billion cubic meters, with a normal water level of 1735 meters.

To the east of Xiangyang Dock in the reservoir there stretches a white sand bank.  On both sides of the bank there are whirling willows, known as the “ten-mile willow woods”.
For a Liujiaxia tour, travelers can take a boat to the upstream, where the transparent water sprays against the boat; and once the gorge comes into the sight, the whole view of high cliffs juts out into the river can be on a par with Guilin scenery and Yangtze River Gorge. Travelers will confront a mountain lake once out of the gorge. Its waving water reflecting the blue sky and white clouds does have a special view.

There are tourism boats from the power station and a local tourism company available for visitors, who can directly go to the southwest side of the reservoir to view Binglingsi caves. Generally it will take about two to three hours, yet only an hour and half for speedboats.

There is a peculiar landscape here that the Yellow River flows to the west (normally rivers in China are heading to east.). “See how the Yellow River’s water moves out of heaven and flow eastward to the sea.” A famous poem written by Li Bai once described the scene of the river. However the nature shades a big turn here and brings the river westward.

In the Liujiaxia you will be able to see the power station dam lying in this valley. If viewed on the first single arch bridge in the Yellow River, the significant power station dam is all in sight. The main body of the dam stretches for a distance of 100 meters with a height of 147 meters. It stands on the cliff guarding the land.

When the flood season between October and September comes, the power station has to open the gates. The flood of Yellow River water, like a jailed lion escaping from a cage, rages and roars, hurling fearlessly. There is another spectacular scene at Yaohe Kou, a stream outlet upstream, where the water carrying a large number of sediment flows into the reservoir from Yaohe River, and turns immediately clear once meeting the transparent Yellow River water.

Ticket: A ticket for a boat is 20 Yuan, a speed boat 80 Yuan. There is a tour guide explaining the knowledge of the dam.