ChineseToday | Yellow River guardians at Longmen Hydrological Station

Employees Gan Yuan (L) and Huo Mingchong check hydrological data at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025.

Longmen Hydrological Station is located at a cliff on the bank of the Yellow River in Hancheng City. It faces Hancheng in the west and Hejin City of north China's Shanxi Province in the east. The only passage leading to the station is a steel cableway set among a canyon.

The station, an important flood reporting station for the Yellow River, has accumulated plenty of hydrological data for the management of the river and the development of the national economy.

Technicians at the station monitor 498,000 square kilometers of water resource of the Yellow River, collecting first-hand hydrological data, and measuring the water flow, sand content, water level and water quality. Seven of all the 11 employees here were born after 1995, and have witnessed the improvement in the condition of work and life here in recent years. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employees play basketball after work at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025.(Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employees prepare lunch at the canteen of the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

An aerial drone photo taken on April 29, 2025 shows the steel cableway linking the Longmen Hydrological Station and the outside world. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

An aerial drone photo taken on April 29, 2025 shows the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.(Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Huo Mingchong measures the sand content in water sample at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Li Chaohua (C) and his colleagues prepare to take the cable car to buy daily necessities at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Huo Mingchong arranges water samples at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Huo Mingchong learns hydrological knowledge after work at his dormitory at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Zhang Yang records hydrological data at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employees Huo Mingchong (L) and Zhang Yang set a sample taking utensil at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Zhang Yang sets a sample taking utensil at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Li Chaohua (L) and his colleagues disembark from a cable car on April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employee Bai Yushan checks the water gauges at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

Employees Liu Jinyang (L) and Zhang Yang pour water sample of the Yellow River into a bottle at the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

An aerial drone photo taken on April 28, 2025 shows the Longmen Hydrological Station in Hancheng City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)