History of Chinese Cement Development

Author: Wang Yanmou (Editor)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features: The Chinese cement industry has developed for over a century. In 2003, its annual output reached 860 million tons, accounting for about 40% of the world's total production, ranking first in the world. However, until now, there has been no comprehensive book that narrates the history of China's cement industry. The history of Chinese cement spans a relatively short period but contains vast content. Studying it is beyond the capacity of a single individual and cannot be completed in a short time. After retiring, the author, driven by a sense of responsibility for the cause, took time to conduct preliminary research and exploration on the history of Chinese cement. The results of this research have been compiled into this book, hoping to inspire more people to pay attention to the development of the cement industry. To provide a comprehensive and objective assessment of the history of Chinese cement, the author examines and studies the development process of the Chinese cement industry within the context of modern Chinese social history and the global development of the cement industry. The author emphasizes the relevance, continuity, and lessons of history. Cement is a binder used in construction. Ancient China once had a glorious history of building binders. As early as the Neolithic Yangshao culture period, our ancestors learned to use "white lime plaster" to coat caves. Later, they mastered the use of yellow mud mortar to build adobe walls. By the 7th century BC, lime began to appear. In the 5th century AD during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, a building material called "three-combination soil" emerged. However, due to social and economic stagnation, the development of building binders in China seemed to halt at the stage of "three-combination soil." In Western and Eastern countries, the development of building binders improved continuously based on Roman mortar, ultimately leading to the invention of Portland cement. Correspondingly, the cement industry grew, and its production technology advanced. At that time, China imported cement and production technology from abroad, and many people called cement "foreign lime." The development of China's cement industry in each period was closely related to the political events happening domestically and internationally. During the late Qing Dynasty, the Opium War opened China's closed doors to the outside world, and world powers invaded China, importing goods, establishing factories, and indulging in plunder, including importing cement and setting up cement plants in China. The late Qing Dynasty's "Self-Strengthening Movement" required large amounts of cement for military and civilian industrial construction, which spurred the rise of China's national cement industry. After the Russo-Japanese War in the early 20th century, Japanese cement capital entered China along with Japanese invading forces, establishing several Japanese-owned cement enterprises. During World War I, world powers were engrossed in domestic conflicts and had no time to further exploit China, allowing China's national cement industry to achieve significant growth. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, national industries in occupied areas suffered setbacks and destruction, while small cement plants emerged in the Southwest, Central, and Northwest regions of China due to war and economic construction needs. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with everything in disarray, large-scale construction began, and the state established numerous cement enterprises under the planned economy system. The reform and opening-up led to the emergence of modern cement enterprises in China. The production technology level of China's cement industry has continuously improved with the times, roughly divided into four levels from low to high: shaft kilns, wet-process rotary kilns, new dry process with preheating and decomposition of clinker at a daily output of 2,000 tons, and new dry process with preheating and decomposition of clinker at a daily output of 5,000 tons. The development of each level was generally based on first purchasing foreign complete sets of technology and equipment, then conducting independent development, implementing equipment localization, and finally achieving widespread promotion across the country. The process of equipment localization in the history of Chinese cement industry has four milestones: Kunming Cement Plant (later renamed Yunnan Cement Co., Ltd.) is a milestone in the construction of shaft kiln plants with domestic equipment; Xiangxiang Cement Plant (later renamed Shaofeng Cement Group Co., Ltd.) is a milestone in the construction of wet-process rotary kiln plants with domestic equipment; Jiangxi Cement Plant (later renamed Jiangxi Wanxingqing Cement Co., Ltd.) is a milestone in the construction of new dry process plants with preheating and decomposition of clinker at a daily output of 2,000 tons using domestic equipment; Anhui Hailuo Group Co., Ltd. is a milestone in the construction of new dry process plants with preheating and decomposition of clinker at a daily output of 5,000 tons using domestic equipment, greatly accelerating the modernization of China's cement industry. From the perspective of economic system changes, China's cement industry has successively experienced a semi-feudal, semi-colonial market economy system, a planned economy system under socialism, and a transition from a planned economy system to a socialist market economy system. The national cement industry established under the semi-feudal, semi-colonial market economy system not only serves as the foundation for the development of the new China's cement industry but also offers valuable references for financing methods, leadership systems, and market competition for cement enterprises currently transitioning to a socialist market economy system. The cement enterprises established under the planned economy system mostly used technologically backward wet-process kilns and shaft kilns, yet they laid the foundation for modern China's cement industry and represented an important stage in its development, making indelible contributions to national economic construction and defense construction. The socialist market economy gave rise to a large number of new-generation cement enterprises, marked by preheating and decomposition kiln new dry process. The preheating and decomposition kiln new dry process is the most advanced and sustainable cement production method of the modern era. China's cement industry is currently undertaking the historical task of phasing out wet-process kilns and shaft kilns with preheating and decomposition kiln new dry process to adapt to the requirements of coordinated human development. Enterprises are the cornerstone of social production, and the cement industry is primarily composed of numerous cement enterprises. Throughout its historical development, the Chinese cement industry has witnessed the rise and fall of enterprises, with some emerging or growing while others disappeared or declined. The same phenomenon occurred during the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, with some enterprises thriving while others faded. A group of backbone cement enterprises, represented by Hailuo Cement Co., Ltd., continuously innovated and strived, thriving as the lucky ones of the era. This book introduces the growth process and achievements of these enterprises and dedicates special chapters to "Hailuo Cement" and "Shanshui Group," while other enterprises are discussed in relevant chapters. History is created by the people. The history of Chinese cement was written by countless Chinese cement workers. Many outstanding figures emerged during different periods of China's cement industry development, such as Wang Tao, the "cement king" who dominated the industry during the Republic of China period; Lai Jifa, the "barefoot" minister and overall commander of early cement industry development in the People's Republic of China; Liu Gongcheng, a legendary figure in the cement industry; Guo Wen San, a pioneer in developing modern cement industry during the reform and opening-up period, and so on. Their experiences and achievements are introduced in relevant chapters. This book is dedicated to readers under the name "Development History." Although the author has made every effort to gather historical materials from various sources, the collected data is not entirely comprehensive, and some descriptions of development processes are still incomplete. The author acknowledges that there may be biases in the evaluation and hopes for criticism and corrections from readers. All historical facts in the book are based on documentary materials, interviews with relevant personnel, and the author's personal experiences. The names of the sources used are listed in the appendix in the order of citation. Learning from history can clarify aspirations, and revisiting the past can bring new insights. It is hoped that the publication of this book will benefit the development of China's cement industry.