The Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project has been included on a newly released list on national patriotism education bases, DT News reported.
The 111 newly added sites were named by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. With the addition, the total number of national bases reaches 585.
The choice of the bases is closely connected with the Party history learning and education, highlighting the Party-related events, sites and figures.
Four sites in Guangdong Province are on the new list, namely the Guangzhou Uprising Memorial Hall, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project and the Aviation Industry Flight AG600 General Assembly Line.
The water supply project runs from Qiaotou Township, Dongguan in the north to Shenzhen Reservoir in the south. The 68-kilometer-long project ensures a safe and stable supply of fresh water to 24 million people residing in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Dongguan as well as production needs of the cities in the region over the past five decades, contributing to the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and the fast growth of Shenzhen and Dongguan.
The Guangdong Provincial Government has taken a series of measures to ensure the quantity and quality of water supplied to Hong Kong.
Guangdong and Hong Kong authorities jointly held a ceremony May 28, 2015, marking the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Dongjiang water supply project. The then chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Leung Chun-ying, said that the 50-year water supply shows national support to Hong Kong and presents a close connection between Hong Kong and the mainland. Dongjiang water has never been cut off even amid the drought.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher applauded the significance of this Chinese project in her memoir, saying that "The Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project is a unique project that brings thriving development to Hong Kong."