First Author: ZHANG Weibing
Corresponding Author: ZHANG Weibing
Journal: Studies in the History of Natural Sciences

Abstract

In 1957, under the guidance of the Chinese State Council’s Science Planning Committee, an agreement was reached among the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Electric Power, and the Ministry of Communications to merge the CAS Department of Hydraulic Engineering Research with the Beijing Research Institute of Water Resources under the Ministry of Water Resources. This merger created a new scientific research institution jointly led by CAS and the Ministry of Water Resources and dedicated to water science research.

This merger, driven by the intervention of the State Council and coordinated by four ministerial-level institutions, was highly unusual and carries great significance in the history of water science and technology development in the People’s Republic of China. Drawing on archival materials, biographies, reports, and historical records, this paper explores the origins, process, and outcomes of this merger, as well as the decisive role of the State Council’s Science Planning Committee.

The study finds that this was a nationwide effort under state leadership to optimize and adjust the distribution of water research forces. It also represented a bold attempt at establishing an effective water research system during the early years of the People’s Republic of China. The new institution not only embodied the spirit of boosting output and efficiency but also optimized the distribution of water research talent across the country. It confirmed the central role of the new institute in water science research, laying the foundation for successfully implementing the 12-Year Science and Technology Plan in the water sector.

Keywords: Chinese Academy of Sciences Hydraulic Engineering Research Office; Beijing Research Institute of Water Resources under the Ministry of Water Resources; State Council Science Planning Committee; Research institutions; Merger