Baiying Dianquan

#"Bai Ying Dian Quan" novel introduction "Bai Ying Points the Spring" is a million-word historical and humanistic novel about the life of Bai Ying, a folk water conservancy genius in the early Ming Dynasty. The time span is 1363-1419, and it panoramically shows the political situation and canal civilization from Hongwu to Yongle. Bai Ying was born into a poor mason's family in Wenshang. She lost her father to a flood when she was young and has since made a vow to control floods. He learned the science of water conservancy from the reclusive Jinshi of the former dynasty, surveyed the entire Wenshui River on foot, and discovered the core mystery of the "Nanwang Water Ridge" of the Huitong River. During his twenty-one years as the "Old Man" of the Canal, he traveled all over the mountains of central and southern Shandong and surveyed 72 springs. In practice, he formed a complete concept of "inducing wennan to aid transportation and diverting springs to replenish sources." During the Yongle period, Song Li, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, failed to control floods according to the Yuan law, so he went to search for Bai Ying incognito. Bai Ying overcame all the opposition to take charge of the project, overcoming technical difficulties, official difficulties and gentry obstruction, and built the Daicun Dam, Xiaowen River and Nanwang water diversion hubs, realizing the water conservancy miracle of "six points flowing north to the emperor, and four points south flowing the emperor's grain", and completely solved the water transportation problem of the Grand Canal. After the project was completed, Bai Ying declined the imperial reward and died of illness on the way back to Beijing due to overwork. He was posthumously named the "God of Yongji" by later generations. His wisdom in water management influenced water transportation for five hundred years in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and his spirit is still passed down in contemporary water conservancy projects. The novel integrates hard water conservancy technology and humanistic sentiments, interpreting the national spirit of "sticking to the original intention, having the courage to take responsibility, and never losing sight of success".