Wind BreakerA Historical Narrative on the Dagu

Lighthouse in Tianjin PortBy Katherine Yang

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LIGHTSD a g u L i g h t h o u s e

Family TreePage 2

InterviewPage 3

NarrativePage 5-6

ReflectionPage 7

Citations - BibliographyPage 8

Research NotesPage 4

Photos cited to self.

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FAMILY TREE

Partial Family Tree showing the line of heritage beginning

with my mothers father.

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INTERVIEWPersonal Experience:General:Do you remember anything when you designed it?

For 5 years since beginning to design it, I attended different meetings.

What specific measurements surprised you?The very bottom part was 4,000 tons heavy

Anything else?54 metal poles that went underwater with a diameter of 8

feet each.Was there a specific moment you remember?

The reinforced concrete bar made (underwater) foundation was going to be pulled out of the specially designed shipyard. It was very tense and everybody was out on the deck peering through the cracks of the railing.

Do you remember a about when this happened?Winter (about 2 months after my mom was

born) 1974 6/11Specific time? (got out book)

oAll through the nighto13:35 woke upo9:52 got there

Do you remember specifically how many boats there where?

Five. If any other boats came over, they were told to stop.

Two in front, one directly behind to prevent it from going crooked, another small boat to push that one and yet another boat behind the small one.

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RESEARCH NOTES

Photo Credits for this page:Above:http://p.twimg.com/A0MvgNSCAAEyMR7.jpg:largeBelow:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20120813/0013729e4ad91192e5ff3d.jpg

My research notes;History and info:-One of the only lighthouses in china that is built in the water. -3.3 miles away from the harbor.-12.56 meters water deep-35.84 meters from light to ground-55.85 meters from

sea floor to top of lighthouse-Began planning in 1970, began building in 1971, finished

in 1977-The lighthouse was very important and helps to direct a ship into the Tianjin harbor.-The purpose was to direct a ship into the harbor of Tianjin.-Got hit by a ship some time 10,000tons, the head of the ship hit the lighthouse and got flattened. It hit the part where the lighthouse meets the water (made out of cement). Only chipped off a little bit but the impact was huge.

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HISTORICAL NARRATIVEWind BreakerThe frigid spray of the sea hit my face with incredible force. The wind was screaming in my ears and the roar of the water was staggering, but none of these could stop me from witnessing the success, or failure, of my accomplishment.Ma Ji Xiang! Hurry up! Theyre going to let the water in soon, one of my partners reminded me. I nodded and replied with a brusque en of acknowledgement before he rushed off

again, notifying another one of my colleagues. Sighing, I stalked off toward the railing of the docks; the worst view and only view we had.A young man wearing an overcoat and rain boots walked onto the platform of the dockyard. A rolled bundle of rough black and white paper was brought with him.Thank for ships lighthouse, was all that could be heard from his projected voice as the howling, winter winds mufJled out his words. The silence of fear and tension responded to his welcome. The man walked off, clearly annoyed at the

dreaded current of air, and hastily signaled for the wall to go down. Within minutes, we heard the Jirst sounds of water rushing into the dock.In the middle of the dockyard, a towering reinforced concrete bar was standing; secured by the law of gravity. We all crouched down, as if it was all rehearsed, some laying their stomachs onto the cement Jloor. I peered through the cracks of the metal bars, inching to get a better look at the result of my designing, meetings, and hours of research. As time continued to tick by,

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HISTORICAL NARRATIVEthe water slowly Jilled up the massive building. The blasting wind was powerful as we tried to open our eyes, and the rain only added to the dreary weather.The overwhelming stress around the port was the only thing keeping us all awake as the sun inched to the other side of the sky, and took with it its brightness. How long would this last, with the water coming in at this pace? I sleepily closed my eyes, about to drift off, with my head resting on my wet hands.Suddenly, I heard a loud shout. It moved!

It moved! My eyes snapped open and I was shocked at the sudden darkness that greeted me. Had that much time really passed? Looking back to the dock, I was surprised to see the water level already over the structure. There was a loud thump and I saw the top of something rise, then fall down again. It was unbelievable, incredibly unthinkable; but there it was, a 4,000-ton structure being lifted up by the sea. I lay Jlat on the Jloor, watching as the huge slab of concrete slowly lifted up off the ground. Everybody was silent as it Jloated to the top.

I let out a sigh of relief. Everything worked, and we had succeeded. As the Jive boats dragged the base away, I stood there and stared out to the sea. The key part of the Lighthouse, especially an underwater one, was the base. My job was only to see that the structure would be successfully moved out of the dockyard and last for until it wasnt needed anymore. The complex structure was built to oppose the wild waves and frigid winds. That was the whole purpose of my designing.

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HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Suddenly, thoughts came popping into my mind. What if it broke? What if I had made a mistake? I thought to myself. Something may have gone wrong, and it would be all my fault! My brow furrowed at every thought that popped into my head; but as I watched the boats slowly hull the piece of work out of the dock, I realized something. It didnt matter that it was perfect, nor did it matter that it took numerous hours. All that mattered was that I had

completed my job and seen it successfully moved out. A wave of relief Jlooded over me and joy was soon to come. I had a family to take care of, my next task to fulJill. My job was done, and I succeeded, but now I have yet another responsibility to take care of. Below:A ship docking at Tianjin port.http://ww2db.com/images/

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REFLECTION1. How has working on this project helped you learn about your familys history and given you a better sense of your identity?

I learned that my family lineage does have some very interesting things about how you became to be. You learn that your ancestors have been through a huge challenge in their life and that might boost your confidence a bit. Overall, this was a very interesting event, especially with the interview. You can learn a lot more about your family than you would have originally known.2. Why do you think doing a project like this is important?

By doing a project like this, you gain interest in our family and it makes you feel closer to them. If you interviewed somebody you never was familiar with, you might have felt awkward at first. However, later on after you complete the narrative, you feel as if you know their secret and you now feel closer to them.3. What part of this project did you enjoy the most? Why? I really enjoyed the interview part as well as doing the research. The research proved to be (quite) non-helpful to me, but it was very exciting using the internet for other purposes beside games. It interview let you glimpse into your interviewee's life as well.

4.What specific challenges did you face during this project and how did you over come them? It was quite challenging to translate my grandfather's Chinese when doing the interview, which took up the most time. Eventually, we brought out the dictionary and used most of our time like that. It was also frustrating when I couldnt find any information on the internet.

5.What advice would you give future students as they begin this project? Dont give up! If you are stuck when writing, take a break from it. You should start brainstorming early to make sure you have enough time to finish.

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CREDITS-BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cover picture credits to:DaguCHN2.jpg

Above photo credited to:

S12_Blueprints.gif

All other photos credited.

Sources:

Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of China: Hebei and Tianjin." Lighthouses of China: Hebei and Tianjin. University of North Carolina of Chapel Hill, 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. .

Interview Citation:Ji Xiang, Ma. "Dagu Lighthouse Interview." Personal interview. 12 Oct. 2012.

Ji Xiang, Ma. "Chapter Eleven." Handbook for Design on Sea Harbor. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 590-94. Print.