Taking the Lead in the Hard Battle at Bajiangkou

　　1992 was an important turning point in Wu Yangdong's life. In December of that year, he gloriously joined the Communist Party of China and from then on held himself to even stricter standards. Over 23 years, he rushed from one deep mountain gorge to another, arriving as power stations broke ground and staying until they were completed—sweating in sunshine and mud in rain—realizing the value of his life in the hydropower construction cause through perseverance, passion, youth, and sweat. Colleague Zhang Guangyou said: "Wu Yangdong works tirelessly and never competes with others for anything; he voluntarily takes on the work others are unwilling to do." Colleague Li Fuping said: "Wu Yangdong is hardworking and plain, down-to-earth and serious in his work; once he sets his mind on something, he will definitely do it."

　　In September 2003, as the Bajiang Hydropower Station project started construction, he came to the Bajiangkou Hydropower Station site, thousands of mountains and rivers away from his hometown. After arriving at the site, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the work, running around the site for more than 15 hours every day. Due to overwork, during an interview, he unknowingly fell asleep on a wooden board at the construction site.

　　At work, Wu Yangdong never haggled over pay, took the initiative, endured hardships first, and enjoyed comforts last; whatever the task, he always walked ahead of others. In April 2005, during construction of the flood-retaining wall at the Bajiangkou Hydropower Station, because roadbed filling had not yet been completed, plant equipment could not be transported in, seriously affecting equipment installation and making it impossible to ensure that the first unit would generate electricity by the end of 2005. To ensure the schedule, Wu Yangdong led all employees of the pouring section in battling on site day and night, ultimately completing the roadbed filling five days ahead of schedule. Wu Yangdong recalled: "I didn't think much at the time; I just worked desperately. But afterward I was still a bit frightened."

　　In the face of difficulties, Wu Yangdong always took the lead; wherever there was hard work or a tough "bone to gnaw," there he was. At the end of July 2005, while racing to complete the upstream plant dam guide wall and upstream approach channel at the Bajiangkou Hydropower Station, the owner required that the concrete reach a height of 77 meters before September 20. If the required height could not be reached on schedule, the overflow dam would not be able to pass water, the second-stage cofferdam would not be able to achieve closure, and water would flood the powerhouse. Because the schedule was tight and the workload huge, personnel in other construction sections feared they could not complete the task and did not dare take on this arduous job, but Wu Yangdong volunteered and accepted it. It was the height of summer; Wu Yangdong led more than 40 workers from the pouring section, divided into two shifts each day, making do with all three meals at the site and going right back to work after eating. When tired, they lay down wherever they could find a spot on site for a nap, then threw themselves back into work upon waking. After 45 days of arduous effort, they completed the task one week ahead of schedule, pouring 15,000 cubic meters of concrete, with all project quality reaching excellent standards and winning praise from the owner and supervisor.

　Hard to Fulfill Both Loyalty and Filial Piety  Adding Glory to the Party Flag

　　Wu Yangdong—straightforward and candid, serious and responsible in his work, and highly skilled—not only won the appreciation of his leaders but also the support and affection of the workers in his section. He treated workers as if they were his own brothers, never regarding himself as a section chief, and mingled with the workers. Down-to-earth, capable, and technically excellent, Wu Yangdong was sought by other construction project departments, which tried to "poach" him with positions and high salaries, but he politely declined them all. He still stood firm at his own project department, busying himself selflessly on the construction site all day long.

　　Because he was on the construction site for long periods, Wu Yangdong rarely had time for his family. Since joining the Bajiangkou Hydropower Station project, he had never once returned home. When talking about his family, he said with deep guilt: "Being away for so long, I have taken too little care of my wife and child, failed to give my wife more concern and my child more fatherly love, and failed to fulfill the responsibilities a husband and father should. I feel deeply sorry to my wife and child." It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but when speaking of his parents, Wu Yangdong's eyes filled with tears, and during the conversation he quietly wept. On December 20, 2005, his father suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and was in emergency treatment at the hospital. His younger sister called and urged him to rush back immediately. He said the project was urgent and short-handed and that he could not leave. His sister said angrily on the phone: "You don't care whether Dad lives or dies—are you even his son?" After that, his sister never called him again. Yet it was exactly at this time that construction of the No. 1 weir surface of the overflow dam was proceeding under intense pressure; the schedule was tight, requiring completion before January 21, 2006, with only one month to go. On one side was his father, paralyzed in bed and needing care; on the other, the project was at a critical juncture. As the eldest son, Wu Yangdong longed to go back and see his bedridden father, but he chose the construction site. With tears in his eyes, he worked desperately on site every day, hiding his pain in his heart and never mentioning it to anyone. He ate and lived at the construction site year-round, with no Sundays and no holidays, and spent three Spring Festivals there.

　　On how he viewed himself as a Communist Party member, he said: "I think it's enough just to do my own job well." These plain words are the best answer and also express the value of his life. In an ordinary post, Wu Yangdong silently fulfills the oath he made when he joined the Party. That is what Wu Yangjiang said, and that is what he did.