The cycle of the five elements constitutes the core of Chinese wisdom and strength. It is also known as the art of "yin and yang" and the Eight Diagrams. A golden lightning lit the sky across China； a strike of thunder stirred up the chaos of the prehistoric times. Since then， the first light of civilization gushed out from the land of the East. It illuminates not only China， but also the world for the past five thousand years.
Chapter 1 Qinghai and Tibet under My Feet
The Cityof Chang'an[2] at a Crossroads
It seemed like a dream， back in Chang'an， a dream back to the ancient fortress of the Qin Dynasty (B.C. 221–207).
I did not expect that my first day in the State Grid Corporation of China would begin in the city of Chang'an.
It was one of the last ten days of August 2007. I walked to the Long Pavilion？ where students guarding the frontier of the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618–907) said farewell to each other and the Baqiao Bridge，[3] where people of ancient Chang'an bestowed willow branches upon those leaving. The autumn wind swept past me and the bamboo reeds were flourishing. It seemed that from the distant cloudy sky came the Tang Dynasty "Song of Leaving".
I looked west to Chang'an city， as of yet there were no old friends coming. The city of Chang'an at the crossroads of the Tang Dynasty is now buried under the thick loess. However the aged city， though blowing in the wind， still embraces the world with an open mind. I see in the ruins the calmness and inclusiveness of the ancient city.
Yet， man has entered another millennium. In the 21st century， China has been integrated into the fast development of the world economy. Chang'an however， has been left far behind in the dust， wind and snow of Northwest China.
Therefore， I was confused when the Department of Science and Technology of the State Grid Corporation of China decided that my first workplace was "0 km" in Chang'an. I wondered why the outdated city of Chang'an and the backward northwest region could be the new starting point for the State Grid Corporation of China to build an innovative corporation.
That day， a military vehicle took me from Xi'an Second Artillery Engineering College to the hotel the State Grid Corporation had booked for me.
The autumn sunshine was warm and comfortable. A gleam of sunshine came into the room. Was it from the sun of the Tang Dynasty？ I stood before the French windows and looked over the city. The setting sun was hanging above the mountains， leaving a brush of blood red between the city and Mount Li.[4] The sun was shining over the ancient city of the Qin Dynasty， the fortress of the Han Dynasty (B.C 202–A.D 220) and the capital of the Tang Dynasty buried under the thick loess.
The next day， I would begin the interview， but I still hadn't received the schedule. However I knew that before I left Beijing， division head Ge Jun had made thoughtful arrangements with Northwest Power Grid Corporation and Gansu Electric Power Company by email and fax. He devoted much to this arrangement so that I could see as much as possible and have a multi-aspect discussion. Since I didn't meet my interviewee， the only thing I could do was drinking tea while waiting.
In the offce of Wang Yundan， former deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology of the State Grid Corpo-ration of China， I started to know that the northwest region was a place of strategic importance for the State Grid Corporation to make innovations. Wang， standing in the building of the State Grid Corporation in the West Chang'an Street， listed from a panoramic perspective the major progress and achievements of the State Grid Corporation in building an innovative corporation. He finally focused his eyes on the northwest region and the 750-kilovolt transmission and transformation project from Guanting， Qinghai to east Lanzhou， Gansu， the innovative demonstration project that the State Grid Corporation was dedicated to.
At the beginning of 1970s， the 330-kilovolt Liujiaxia-Tianshui-Guanzhong transmission and transformation project was finished. After that， workers of Northwest Grid started to expect a higher level project. They had waited 30 years since then. Thirty years of honor and dust did not help them realize the dream.
The wind of the past 30 years has blown away time， and many of the then-experts with ambitious dreams in Northwest Grid became old. The dream of a 750-kilovolt extra-high voltage project in Northwest China did not come true until the beginning of the 21st century. Before then， this dream had been buried in the cold frost.
A group of electric experts in Xi'an waited as many as 30 years for this project in Northwest China. Their hair turned grey and thinned out. Finally， 30 years later， the 750-kilovolt extra-high voltage project was within their reach.
"What was the next level after we upgraded the 330-kilovolt grid to a 750-kilovolt one？" I asked.
"Obviously the extra-high voltage (EHV)， the 1，000-kilovolt EHV，" answered director Wang Yundan.
"That is to say， the 750-kilovolt one in Northwest China is the prelude of EHV？"
"You have a clever mind."
"How many countries in the world now have EHV？"
"Japan and Russia. But they did not put the 1，000-kilovolt EHV into real commercial operation."
"I see. Once EHV achieves success in China， State Grid Corpo-ration of China (SGCC) will become the leading corporation in the world's electric market."
"You can say that."
I talked with deputy director Wang Yundan for a whole after-noon. I got a panoramic and detailed understanding of how SGCC could become the benchmark of China's innovative company. When we finished our conversation， Wang asked when I would go out and begin my interview.
I said late August.
"OK！ I'll ask Ge Jun of the Department of Science and Tech-nology to accompany you." He picked up the phone while talking. In a second， a young man with short hair and wise eyes knocked at the door and came in.
"Let me introduce to you. This is Mr. Xu， in charge of the reportage of SGCC scientific and technological innovation."Director Wang introduced me to Dr. Ge Jun.
We shook hands and said hello to each other. Ge Jun asked deputy director Wang Yundan if there was any task he could help with.
"You arrange the interview schedule for Xu. Xi'an， Lanzhou， Chongqing and Chengdu in the west， Wuhan， Changsha in the center， Nanjing， Hangzhou， Shanghai， Jinan and Qingdao in the east， Shenyang， Dalian and Tsitsihar in the north， all these places should be included. Then accompany Xu to finish the interview.""OK！ Mr. Writer， if you have any requirements， please let me know. I will contact our branches in each province and give you a response within 2 days." He spoke very quickly. After exchanging name cards， he stood up and said goodbye.
The sunset glow in my room gradually faded away. Air above my teacup curled upwards and fragrance filled my room. I tasted the tea， thinking of the Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty that was still waiting for another period of splendor at the beginning of the 21st century. This is the splendor of an innovative country.
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Ge Jun came in and handed me an interview schedule.
"Very good！" I said with admiration， "Your arrangement is so professional. Time， place， guests . . . Everything is taken into consideration and the interview times are so precise that they are calculated by the minute. Such a wonderful schedule could only be seen when the departments of military operation and cadres welcomed their leaders."
"Haha！" Ge Jun smiled. "Mr. Writer， you will become accustomed to this. Here in SGCC， this is a basic requirement. We have been accustomed to this. Certainly， I have checked five or six times with Northwest Grid via e-mail to finally determine this schedule."
Ge Jun continued， "I will accompany you to Tianshui to see China's first thyristor controlled series compensation (TCSC) equipment， everywhere from Bikou to Chengxian County， when we arrive in Lanzhou."
I hesitated and said， "It's over 500 km from Lanzhou to Chengxian County. We will waste much time on the way. Can't we arrange the interview in Lanzhou？"
"Mr. Writer， you must have a look at the TCSC equipment from Bikou to Chengxian County. This is China's independent innovative brand. It will enhance your feelings towards the innovation projects of SGCC."
"What is TCSC？"
"It is an electric power technology. Simply speaking， when new power plants with large generating capacities are built， we normally need to build another line in the grid to link the load. But if we use this kind of power and electric equipment， the power transmission capacity of the original line will be substantially increased. Major electricity will be able to pass and this process can be brought under control. Therefore， we not only save circuits and corridors， but also reduce environmental and ecological damage， saving large amounts of investment for the country."
"Oh！ How many companies in the world have such technology？" "Very few. Only three companies： Siemens， ABB and GE."
"What level does China reach in this field？"
"An advanced level. In terms of stability and adaption to China's market， even Siemens cannot surpass us. The TCSC equipment recently installed in the Yimin Line by Northeast Grid Corporation could be the No.1 in the world."
I nodded and said， "The advanced technology embedded in the innovation project of SGCC is really by no means less than the 'Two Bombs and One Satellite Project' I wrote about."
"What makes me the proudest is that after we made a self-dependent brand of TCSC， we broke the international monopoly in this field. The price of TCSC of major international companies， including Siemens， decreased from 10 dollars per thousand kilovolt to 6 dollars， which means we can save 30 to 40 million yuan for our country in every TCSC project."
"OK！ Let's go to Chengxian County."
That night， the Department of Science and Technology of the Northwest Grid Corporation invited us to eat local snacks in a Xi'an restaurant. We drank a kind of white wine produced by northwest locals. While toasting each other， I surprisingly found that the gentle people of the Northwest Grid Corporation were good at drinking. They made me feel like I was back in the army and in my hometown.
"Wine is just water！ Drink more！" The passion of Ge Jun manifested when he encouraged others to toast me. He was as straightforward as a soldier. I knew that before I came， he had made very detailed preparation and arrangements. He even copied online newspaper articles and comments about me and sent them to those in charge of this interview in provincial companies. In this way， the interviewee would know more about me， and the gap between the writer and people working for the state grid would be narrowed. Just as friends should be as clear as wine， life is also like wine； once burned， fire is full of passion. A bottle of wine produced on the northwest land of China showed me the passion and courage of the people from the Northwest Grid Corporation. They are just as strong as the northwestern wind and as splendid as the northwestern fire.
Project 750：Thirty Years'of Dedication in North west China
Wang Liying knew from Huang Limin， her husband's student that "Project 750" would begin.
That dusk was like every other dusk of the past 30 years. After watching CCTV News， Wang returned to the study room， clearing up the material and documents related to 750-kilovolt extra-high voltage.
"Liying， Limin is here！" her husband Cheng Zhongjun called her from the sitting room.
Wang Liying immediately went out and made a cup a tea for her guest.
Huang Limin was arranged to work in the motor room of Shaanxi Electric Power Research Institute after graduating from Harbin Electric College (now Harbin University of Science and Technology) as a postgraduate student. Wang Liying's husband Cheng Zhongjun was Huang's teacher. Huang was Cheng's last disciple. After Cheng Zhongjun retired from the post of director of the motor room， Huang naturally became the new director， shouldering the responsibility of his teacher.
Wang Liying handed the tea to Huang. Observing Huang Limin's pleasure， she said， "Limin， your face is electric. Is there any good news you would like to share with us？"
"Yes！ 'Project 750' will start！" Huang Limin said， "The Northwest Grid Corporation is going to establish an offce for 'Project 750'. They're recruiting people by public examination. They need 4 people. I'd like to have a try."
"This is a good thing. Limin， I support you！" Wang Liying signed， "Your master and I waited so long for it. It finally came， but we are old now. What a pity！"
"You and my master are still vigorous，" said Huang Limin humbly. "Many experts of your generation followed 'Project 750' closely for 30 years. Once the project starts， you will definitely be invited to give us guidance！ And I am the first here to get some advice."
"Haha！" Wang Liying laughed bright and clear. She dug out the documents about extra-high voltage she had been saving for years and that night gave Huang Limin advice.
Late in the night， Huang Limin left. Wang Liying went into her study room and put the documents whose color has faded away back onto the shelf. Then she went to the balcony. Looking at the starry night， the starry night of yesterday， of today， of Western China and of history was always so charming， that it still fascinated a sixty-year-old electric expert， excited her， made her sorrowful and full of expectations and fantasies.
She looked to the northwest. Ever since the 1960s when Wang Liying， a Beijing girl， was a student of Tsinghua University， she had been longing to go to the northwest， longing for love and for the spring of China's electric grid.
After graduation， Wang Liying resolutely determined to leave the prosperous capital to pursue her dream of love， the dream of all the workers of China's national grid of building the west and the dream of putting what she had learned into practice. She followed her boyfriend Cheng Zhongjun who was also a Tsinghua student， and got on the train to the west， to the northwest of China where dreams and miracles never failed.
Not very long after they arrived in Xi'an， the "Ten Chaotic Years"[5] began， which did a lot of harm to the nation and the country. A storm was coming and grey clouds were gathering above Chang'an. But among all the mishaps， they had some luck. The largest hydroelectric generation station above the Yellow River， Liujiaxia Dam hydropower station was to be built. China's first 330-kilovolt high voltage project in the Northwest was born. Wang Liying， her husband Cheng Zhongjun， and other electric experts that joined the group of Northwest Grid such as Zhang Huiqin， Zhang Shaoping and Qin Yunquan were all Tsinghua graduates. They lived in houses made of asphaltic felts， and their food was very bad. Though their living conditions then were very poor， they were very happy. It seemed that their years of youth were glittering， together with the fire of dream and the sun. It seemed that the western region was the last anchorage ground of their life and their cause.
Wang Liying felt very lucky then. She thought there was still something the Chinese people could be proud of in that era when knowledge was abandoned by many.
All the equipment of the 330-kilovolt HV project was manufac-tured independently by the Chinese. Though there was still some dissatisfaction that caused problems from time to time， we had the intellectual property rights. This made us very proud. With the Liujiaxia Dam-Tianshui-Guanzhong 330-kilovolt equipment and lines which took 4 years to finally be put in operation， "Liu-Tian-Guan" became a term included in the electric dictionary of New China.
According to the upgrading rules of the international power circle， it takes 5 to 10 years for one level of voltage to be upgraded to a higher level. The preparation work includes advanced research， debate， project approval and 1：1 operational experiment of the power grid. China was no exception. However this debating period was too long； it was nearly one third of a century.
In 1976， the First Machinery Industry Department of China released an order related to the "Liu-Tian-Guan" 330-kilovolt project in operation. The order required related departments to carry out advanced research in regards to transformer， circuit changer， bushing and other mechanical equipment manufacturing， so that the building of a 750-kilovolt project could be realized as soon as possible.
However， this seed did not grow to be small grass or a tree in the northwest dry land.
Looking at Chang'an， they could not see the 750-kilovolt grid across the sky. The long wait in the northwest had bid farewell to many sunrises and sunsets and had seen many births and deaths. Thirty years of dust， clouds and moons had passed. That generation of students had waited from their youth to middle age， and from the noon of their life to its sunset.
Though the sunset could warm the cold mountains， the eternal green mountains and sunset have endless regrets. Qian Jiaxiang， the northwest electric expert of the "Liu-Tian-Guan" 330-kilovolt project， retired.
Zhang Huiqin， after looking at the sky of the Northwest Grid for the last time， also retired.
With the dusk of life approaching step by step， Zhang Shaoping retired with regret.
Only Wang Liying insisted on waiting. But when her retirement day finally came， she also thought she had no chance of seeing the 750-kilovolt EHV project begin in her lifetime.
However an old-age hero will never lose his ambition. Chief engineer Qian Jiaxiang was the classmate of the then-Premier Zhu Rongji. With this special relationship， Qian wrote a letter to Premier Zhu， analyzing the electric resources in northwest China. He said there were abundant hydropower， thermal power， wind power and solar energy in the northwest and the 750-kilovolt EHV project should definitely be built in the northwest.
His patriotism can be seen by the sun and the moon. His letter aroused the attention of Premier Zhu. Premier Zhu told the then-Vice Premier Wen Jiabao and the then-Director of State Development Planning Commission (SDPC) Zen Peiyan， "The northwest region is along the Yellow River. The allocation of energy there should be optimized. Besides flood prevention and irrigation work， hydropower should be considered. This is environmentally-friendly energy."
With the comments of Premier Zhu， the 750-kilovolt EHV project in the northwest for which they had waited 30 years saw the first light of day.
Alone I walked a thousand mountains. Workers of the Northwest Grid and "Project 750" have waited 30 years. They seemed to be waiting for someone， someone that dared to lead them to make achievements in the cold mountains and remote areas of Western China.
History came to another millennium. Liu Bencui， the director of the Department of Infrastructure of SGCC in Beijing became the general manager of Northwest Grid in Xi'an. Upon taking offce， he seemed to have understood the strategic intentions of the party committee and the leaders of SGCC towards energy. On the strategic map of China's energy， "Project 750" would become an important point that would lead SGCC's technical innovation.
The bell of the New Year of 2011 became the prelude of "Project 750".
Liu Bencui made an extraordinary decision. He decided to select 4 young people through public examination to work for the Northwest Grid Corporation over 5 provinces. They would constitute the Offce of "Project 750". The posts' requirements were very high： applicants must be aged below 35， be at least a postgraduate and have more than 5 years' work experience.
A huge platform for innovation had appeared before people working for Northwest Grid. Many young people wanted to try.
Huang Limin was one of them. That night when Huang left the home of his master， he also looked at the starry sky. He seemed to find his future in the northwest sky. The next day， Huang started to prepare for the examination.
For over 3 months， nearly 100 people applying for the post attended the examinations. After a written examination， an interview and a presentation in front of a panel of experts， four young people stood out. Later， they were called "the Four Diamonds" of "Project 750".
The first person of the "Four Diamonds" was Lü Shirong， Doctor of Xi'an Jiaotong University. He had worked for the Northwest Grid Corporation control center. He majored in power grid systems.
The second person of the "Four Diamonds" was Yi Lidong， Master graduate of Xi'an Jiaotong University and a doctor of Moscow Institute of Electric Power. He majored in high voltage techniques.
The third person of the "Four Diamonds" was Huang Limin， Master of Harbin Electric Institute. His major is electrical machine. The fourth person of the "Four Diamonds" is Xiu Jian， Master of Xi'an Jiaotong University. His major is power system automation. In June， 2001， the Offce of "Project 750" of Northwest Grid Corporation was offcially established. Shao Dongren， deputy general manager of Northwest Grid Corporation was the group leader. Ding Yongfu， deputy director of the Department of Production， Science and Technology， and Zuo Yuxi， deputy general manager of Shaanxi Electric Company were deputy leaders of the group. Each of the "Four Diamonds" was responsible for one part of work in the offce.
When "Project 750" started， general manager Liu Bencui gathered all the related persons in his offce and said， "We in the northwest region have waited too long for the 750-kilovolt project. We have waited too long. The Chinese people have waited too long. One generation of electric experts has grown old. A new generation has grown up.
"Looking at you four young people， I am very glad. The future of Northwest Grid is yours. The innovation and creation of 'Project 750' depend on you. I hope you can determine the direction of technology and can produce a feasible plan with scientific attitudes and innovation in the shortest period and at the fastest speed possible. After being proved by experts， we can get the SGCC's and the National Development and Reform Commission's (NDRC) approval for the project. Once the 750-kilovolt line is built， it will be part of the scenery on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and a shining point in the northwest sky."
With the general commander and the "Four Diamonds"， 19 sub-subjects in 6 modules were arranged properly in a very short period of time. Then， Shao Dongren and Zuo Yuxi were made responsible for different tasks. One of them went abroad to learn from others and the other visited the scientific research institutions and manufacturers in China.
Ding Yongfu was also a gifted graduate of Xi'an Jiaotong University. He too went to Germany for further study. Shao Dongren lead a group to 14 investigation fields in 9 countries in Europe， the US， Japan， Russia， South Africa， Venezuela and Korea. Ding was certainly in this group.
Ding Yongfu observed the EHV of the world with the eyes of an electric expert. He found that the EHV theory of the US， Canada and Russia which had been formed in the mid-1960s was outdated. The 750-kilovolt EHV projects of Korea， South Africa and Venezuela were built at the end of the 20th century， but they were different from one another and different from the geography， icy weather and polluted conditions of western China. The Korean equipment was advanced， but it was built for a low-sea-level environment， not fit for the environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， 3，000 meters above sea level. The South African equipment was also designed for terrain with a height above sea level below 1，500 meters. After importing electric equipment from Japan， accidents were quite frequent. The electric reactor burned many times， which was due to the failure of the Japanese electric equipment. Venezuela bought the equipment from France， which wasn't satisfactory either.