On June 6, 2025, the event "Remembering the Source When Drinking Water – Beijing Haidian Kaiwen Academy's Public Welfare Exchange with the Water Source Region" was held in the auditorium of Beijing Haidian Kaiwen Academy (HDKWA).

HDKWA was honored to host several teachers and student representatives from Danjiangkou City in Shiyan City, Hubei Province, and Xichuan County in Nanyang City, Henan Province—the water source regions of the central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. They visited the campus and engaged in exchanges with our teachers and students.

Attendees included Mao Suizhi, Section Chief of Social Forces Running Schools Office, Haidian District Education Commission; Wang Jing, Secretary and Director of the Sijiqing School District Management Center; Ding Hongwei, Chairman of the Labor Union of Danjiangkou Bureau of Education; Ming Yang, Mayor of Dashiqiao Township, Xichuan County; Li Yongyuan, Headmaster of Beijing Haidian Kaiwen Academy; and Chen Xiuzhen, Vice Principal of Beijing Haidian Kaiwen Academy.

The Danjiangkou Reservoir, the water source of the central route, spans Hubei and Henan provinces, primarily distributed within Danjiangkou City and Xichuan County. The terminal point of the 1,432-kilometer main canal of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project ‘s central route is located at Tuancheng Lake in Haidian District, Beijing.

Water connects our stories, and from this flow, a bond has grown.

Since the central route’s first phase was put into full operation in December 2014, the Danjiangkou Reservoir has supplied over 10.6 billion cubic meters of water to Beijing, now covering nearly 80% of the main urban area’s water supply of Beijing.

The past decade has witnessed the collaborative partnership and mutual effort between Beijing and the water source regions. In 2014, Haidian District and Danjiangkou City formally established a one-to-one collaboration relationship. In 2024, the Haidian District Education Commission and the Danjiangkou Bureau of Education had signed for "pairing assistance between schools," promoting the development of schools in the water source regions.

The connection between HDKWA and the water source regions also dates back years. As early as 2021, Headmaster Mr. Li visited Xichuan County, marking the beginning of the HDKWA’s story of remembering the water source.

Xichuan County, the main submerged area of the central route and the largest county for water conservancy resettlement in China, is also the location of the diversion head of the main canal. Learning that some children in Xichuan still faced water shortages and that the only water source for Dashiqiao Township Central Primary School was a well prone to backflow contamination during rainy days, HDKWA decided to fund the drilling of a new well for the school, helping ensure access to clean water for the children.

In 2023, HDKWA raised 130,000 RMB in donations for the well construction. Over the past two years, high school student volunteers from HDKWA have visited Xichuan four times, learning about the remarkable efforts of the local people.

HDKWA donated funds to drill a well for Dashiqiao Township Primary School in Xichuan County

During the summer of 2024, Mr. Li visited Danjiangkou City, and in April this year, sixth-grade students from HDKWA also went there for a study trip, experiencing firsthand the significance of the project and the resilience and sincerity of the local people.

This time, HDKWA was honored to invite teachers and student representatives from Danjiangkou City and Xichuan County to visit the campus and interact with our community. This opportunity aimed to raise awareness of the stories from the water source regions, highlight the dedication of the local people, and contribute to the development of these areas.

Mr. Zhao Hongda, supervisor of School Office of HDKWA, hosted the day's activities

In his welcome speech, Mr. Li shared his experiences visiting Danjiangkou City and Xichuan County. The slogans on protecting water source in Danjiangkou city and the precious archival images at the Xichuan Danjiang Resettlement Folk Museum, all illustrates the sacrifices and contributions of the local people. As beneficiaries of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project project, it is our duty to remember and appreciate these efforts.

As Mr. Li stated, "Patriotism and social responsibility are not empty words but truly recognizing the countless contributors behind these efforts. We should be grateful to them, which is why we have an obligation to support the water source regions."

Mr. Li Yongyuan, Headmaster of HDKWA, delivered a welcome speech

Following Mr. Li’s speech, Vice Principal Chen Zhanchao of Dashiqiao Township Central Primary School and several student representatives stood on the stage to share their stories of interaction with HDKWA’s teachers and students.

Principal Chen Zhanchao of Dashiqiao Township Central Primary School delivered a speech

Duo Xiangbei (Grade 4), Ming Chenrui (Grade 3), and Chen Lingpei (Grade 2) delivered speeches respectively.

In the narratives of Vice Principal Chen and the students, the past teaching assistance trips to Xichuan came vividly to life. People from distant places connected by water, and kindness brings strangers together. Behind all the efforts, gratitude, and warmth, genuine bonds flowed between hearts.

Subsequently, Li Le, a teacher from Tianjin Road Primary School in Danjiangkou City, and four student representatives from Danjiangkou Experimental Primary School shared their stories of protecting and conserving water.

Contributing to this great project at the source of the central route is "both an honor and a profound responsibility." In the speeches of Teacher Li and the students, "guardianship," "inheritance," and "mission" were recurring themes. They regard protecting water source as their mission and responsibility, moving the audience deeply with their spirit.

After the sharing from the water source regions, Luo Yuhong (Grade 10) and Liu Dongdong (Grade 6) from HDKWA shared their reflections on field trip and voluntary teaching project in Xichuan County and Danjiangkou City, respectively.

In Luo Yuhong’s speech, she  described the "impact" and "awe" she experienced in the water source regions has continually prompted her to reflect on her own life and reshape her understanding of society.

"I prefer to call this journey an educational exchange or sharing of educational resources rather than 'voluntary teaching' because I don’t want to place the children in the position of  ‘recipients of assistance’. In fact, the kindness they showed us were far more important and precious than anything we could offer them," Luo Yuhong said.

Liu Dongdong also shared how he has changed after the field trip. From phrases "When drinking water, remember those who dug the well" from textbook, to witnessing the "water guardians" in the real world, Liu gradually understood that every seemingly ordinary glass of water embodies the spirit of conservation and the efforts of countless individuals. Cherishing this dedication and passing on gratitude has now become his responsibility.

At the end of the event, Mao Suizhi, Section Chief of the Social Forces Running Schools Office, Haidian District Education Commission, delivered a speech.

He urged everyone not only to recognize the decades of tremendous efforts by the people of Xichuan County and Danjiangkou City behind our convenient water supply but also to turn respect into action: "Raise awareness of water conservation and become advocates; develop water-saving habits and become practitioners; promote scientific water use and become explorers of water-saving innovation."

Mr. Mao also called for extending a helping hand, hoping to gather strength from all sectors of society to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds who excel academically, helping them achieve their dreams.

After the event, the teachers and student representatives from Xichuan County and Danjiangkou City visited Tuancheng Lake in Haidian District, Beijing.

Tuancheng Lake, a critical project ensuring urban water supply security in Beijing, receives water from the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and connects the Miyun Reservoir and the diversion route, playing a pivotal role. The clear water, guarded by countless individuals on its long journey from the Danjiangkou Reservoir, finally flows here.

The guardians of the water source witnessed the destination of the water they protect, seeing how this clear water benefits millions. This gathering across mountains and rivers was a profound dialogue between the water source regions and the recipient areas, a passing down and inheriting of guardianship, gratitude, and responsibility.

Connected by water, respect and kindness flow alongside it. This bond, forged by water, inspires more people to engrave this resilience and dedication in their hearts.

In the future, the story between HDKWA and the water source regions will continue. This friendship, born of kindness, will flow ceaselessly like the northward current, transforming into the power of action through sharing and blooming into enduring flowers through inheritance.