Illumine Lingao (English Translation)
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Chapter 2320 - Danzhou Planning

Zhou Wei had won the first battle in Danzhou, securing the support of a coalition of chemical industry Senators. Truthfully, he knew nothing about chemistry or planning, and had originally held no interest in the meeting. He'd intended to slip away immediately after achieving his goal, but the intensity of summer storms along the coast had other ideas. Sea transport around Yangpu Bay was suspended, and the land routes were flooded. Even if he wanted to leave, he couldn't. Besides, Zhang Hao had suggested he build more rapport with the Senators—it would be more secure.

"After all, you don't come from a STEM background..."

"I am a science student, thank you very much! My profession is finance, and finance is a science subject!" Zhou Wei protested.

"Working in finance is original sin," Zhang Hao replied. "In short, say less about your background in finance. Emphasize that you're a science student—it's easier for everyone to find common ground."

After the initial excitement died down, the chemical industry Senators returned to the proper business of the seminar. To speak with authority in the company, after all, one either needed high emotional intelligence and social skills, or had to be a backbone achiever with accomplishments to show for it.

"Next, we will conduct an overall review of the construction planning and timeline for the entire industrial park." Ji Tuisi rose to address the room. "Although this plan represents six months of collective brainstorming by our chemical industry sector and has obtained approval from the Planning Commission, this project involves enormous investment and a long construction period. We're essentially in a state of building while still designing. We must carefully consider how to execute the plan and arrange production lines—particularly in relation to the Senate's actual industrial capacity..."

The map on the wall had been drawn with grand ambition, densely packed with factory symbols and impressive annotations: "Special Chemical Combine," "Electrochemical General Plant," "Synthetic Gas and Liquefied Gas General Plant," "Chemical Machinery Plant," "Aniline Soda Plant," "Union Carbide Group"... At first glance, one might mistake it for a map of the Ruhr industrial region.

This blueprint represented years of crystallized ambition from the chemical industry sector. Ever since the Senate's "Lingao First Chemical Combine" had brought its crude ammonia synthesis equipment online, the sector had been pursuing an aggressive path of expansion.

But expanding the capacity and variety of chemical products involved far more complications than other industrial sectors. First came the equipment problem. Though some key equipment and consumables had been brought from the old timeline, these resources fell far short of what was needed. The corrosion-resistant material they desperately required—stainless steel—remained in short supply due to the lack of critical nickel and chromium. This forced the chemical industry to rely on glass and ceramics, materials that were difficult to process and performed poorly, as primary production equipment for far too long. Expanding output and scale proved nearly impossible under such constraints.

Moreover, as the city had developed in recent years, issues of land, water resources, and pollution made it increasingly difficult for the chemical industry to expand further in Lingao. A few people in the sector had calculated that only by relocating as soon as possible could chemistry be given new opportunities for development.

Where to relocate? After discussion, the counties in Southern Qiongzhou were essentially ruled out—the development level was too low, the population sparse, and the terrain too mountainous. Although the region possessed some resources, most were difficult to exploit. And except for Sanya, almost no county had a natural port with reasonably good conditions. This was a fatal problem for a chemical industrial zone heavily reliant on imports and exports.

After deliberation between the industrial sector and the Planning Commission, Danzhou, west of Lingao, was selected as the site for the new chemical industrial zone.

Danzhou sat adjacent to Lingao, relatively close. Though its development lagged behind Lingao and Chengmai, agriculture had a considerable foundation, with both population and grain. Land was also relatively abundant. Furthermore, Danzhou Bay occupied the northwest of Hainan Island, on the leeward side of typhoons, making it one of the most ideal industrial development sites on the entire island. Industrial projects on Hainan in the old timeline had also been concentrated in the west.

Yangpu Port in Danzhou was a natural deep-water harbor. Even without terrain modification, it offered excellent natural anchorage and shelter. The locality was rich in volcanic rock, which could serve as on-site construction material, reducing the need to transport supplies. In terms of land transportation, the distance from Danzhou to Lingao was not only short but also featured favorable road-building conditions. Whether constructing high-grade highways or laying railways later, the terrain made it relatively convenient.

The location of Yangpu Port itself was particularly advantageous. It could receive coal shipped from Vietnam and timber transported from Laos, Cambodia, and other nearby regions. Moreover, along the coastline north of Yangpu Port lay salt fields, where sea salt needed for the salt chemical industry could be obtained locally.

Though the Senators' ultimate ambition lay in oil, with salt, coal, and timber available, the chemical industry could be considered to have great prospects. Even if oil couldn't be supplied in the short term, there was a fallback option: the oil shale in Changpo, Danzhou. It wasn't true petroleum, but it would do in a pinch.

Once the plan for the Danzhou Chemical Base was approved, it was included among the key projects of the "Second Five-Year Plan" in the form of a "Special Case."

With the project officially established, the "Danzhou Industrial Park Management Committee" was set up in Danzhou as a comprehensive management agency responsible for construction and coordination. Then came the "Danzhou Industrial Park Construction General Headquarters," with Lingao Construction General Company specifically undertaking the construction work.

Several planners from the Planning and Design Institute of the Construction General Company conducted field exploration and mapping around Yangpu, gathering the chemical industry's requirements for production layout.

The chemical industry's own proposal was to build around Danzhou Bay. But Qi Feng, who was responsible for the specific planning and design, expressed that such a layout had significant disadvantages.

First was the pollution discharge problem. Qi Feng wasn't an environmentalist, but he pointed out that the chemical industry's current plan—gathering all sewage into a main canal or Beimen River and discharging it into Danzhou Bay—simply wouldn't work. Danzhou Bay was a relatively enclosed inner sea with almost no wind or waves, and it lacked ocean current circulation. The runoff from the several rivers flowing into the bay was particularly minimal, leaving the bay with extremely weak self-purification capacity. If sewage accumulated in the bay without flowing out, the whole thing would turn into a massive jar of stinking water—and cleaning it up would be extraordinarily difficult.

Second, water resources in Danzhou Bay were extremely unbalanced. The north bank suffered from severe water scarcity. Although Danzhou received as much as 1500mm of annual precipitation, rainfall was extremely uneven—a typical tropical monsoon climate. During the dry season, the north bank presented a landscape resembling tropical savanna. If rainfall fell short during the rainy season, the north bank would inevitably face severe drought. If factories and residential areas were built on the north bank, water supply would require careful planning, with pipelines constructed accordingly.

The Beimen River estuary on the south bank featured numerous wetlands and mudflats. These would require massive earth-filling to be usable as industrial land, making it unsuitable for large numbers of industrial enterprises.

Though Danzhou Bay had a vast area with many natural harbors large and small, the only deep-water port was Yangpu. However, the planned Management Committee and garrison were located in Baimajing Town, while some factories and warehouses requiring large quantities of resources had to be situated around Yangpu. This created transportation complications. From Yangpu Port on the north bank to the Volte Army camp in Baimajing on the south bank, taking the train required circling the entire Danzhou Bay—a considerable distance. Connecting these points would require the Yangpu Bridge, but the Senate obviously lacked the capability to build such a bridge large enough to allow passage of major ships.

Synthesizing all these issues, Qi Feng's recommendation was this: most factories should be located in Yangpu to take advantage of nearby bulk cargo terminals and oil tanker terminals. A portion of industries with massive water consumption should be placed in Baimajing, with lighter cargo transfer and ferries connecting the two locations. Another portion of low-pollution industries could be placed in Zhonghe Town, the seat of Danzhou Prefecture. As for other enterprises, they could be arranged along the Beimen River as appropriate, close to the river for easy water intake and infrastructure. Sewage, however, must be discharged to the open sea—never into rivers or Danzhou Bay.

Because most chemical enterprises were starting with rudimentary methods and were accident-prone, and because multiple enterprises would be producing flammable and explosive hazardous chemicals, the safety distance between factories had to be substantial, with spacing between workshops exceeding general standards. This was essential to prevent one explosion from taking the whole complex with it.

The result of this dispersed layout was increased demand for transportation. Besides roads, light railways would need to be laid within the industrial park for internal connections, and multiple wharves established throughout Danzhou Bay to facilitate short-distance ferry services.

Most Senators in the chemical industry were seeing this new planning map for the first time. Though it was simpler than the map they had originally produced themselves—many projects had been removed or consolidated—the draftsmanship was exquisite, accompanied by numerous color blocks and explanatory notes that looked decidedly "professional." Everyone gazed at it somewhat mesmerized.

"If this succeeds, we'll be like a heifer sitting on a train..." (Note: A pun meaning "awesome," referencing the cow's vulva and the train's whistle.)

"Chemistry is the primary productive force! How would that bunch of animals in the Executive Committee understand?"

"Say it again—there is no Executive Committee anymore!"

"Then that bunch of animals in the Government Administration Council doesn't understand a damn thing either!"

"I feel like our factory area is too big. It practically divides up all of Danzhou—we might as well cancel Danzhou entirely and change it to Industrial Park administration."

"Exactly! What meaning is there for Liu Yixiao to squat in Danzhou? Once the Danzhou Industrial Park Management Committee is established, several Senators will be sitting inside. What can he do? He can only cooperate fully with our construction and production. He wouldn't be happy about it. Rather than that, better to get a naturalized citizen to serve as county magistrate."

"Correct—at least they'd be obedient. If Magistrate Liu refuses to cooperate, we can't easily lay a hand on him. Hahaha."

"As long as arms, fertilizers, and medicines can be produced, these aren't issues. However, everyone here is a Senator—let's not make things too ugly. Better to suggest he seek other high employment as soon as possible."

Ji Tuisi coughed, interrupting the discussion. "Regarding the factory area—although the park is large, it's actually quite dispersed. By old timeline standards, these are just small workshops. In terms of energy, we're primarily adopting direct power supply from DC power stations. Everyone understands the reason: we can't produce silicon steel, so naturally we can't make transformers, circuit breakers, or any of the electrical control equipment needed for a power grid. Fortunately, our main power supply targets are the Changpo Factory Group and Yangpu Factory Group. Of these, the Yangpu Factory Group is mainly electrolysis plants, and Changpo handles graphite plants and silicon carbide—both of which can directly use direct current."

(End of Chapter)

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