A granary is never just a granary.
On the eve of the 46th World Food Day, an interview event with the theme "Entering New State-owned Enterprises - Analyzing the National Industrial Code" came to Tangshan and Qinhuangdao, Hebei. From October 13th to 15th, reporters accompanied the delegation to visit each warehouse directly affiliated to China Grain Reserves.
Along the way, I want to figure out one thing: How do Chinese people rely on their jobs to be stable?
The people are the foundation of the country, and the grain is the life of the people.
The answer is not in the slogan, but in the journey of a grain of grain.
Started from 72 old warehouses
The first stop for the interview was Yutian.
The Yutian Direct-affiliated Warehouse of China Grain Reserves was built in 1949, the same age as the Republic of China. The starting point is 72 warehouses, converted from old pawn shops.
Hao Haifeng, the first party branch secretary, led a dozen employees to start work.
Without equipment, we had to move stones and shovel river sand with our bare hands. If you don’t have tools, just figure it out yourself.
Generations of grain depot workers have been self-reliant and worked hard to protect the food family under simple conditions.
In 1956, all 72 warehouses met the standards. No insects, no mildew, no rats or birds, no accidents - the Yutian Direct Depot is the first in the country to create the first "four-free grain depot". The Ministry of National Food regards it as a red flag on the national food front.
In the historical exhibition hall, the old photos are yellowed.
The ten words on the wall are very conspicuous: It is better to shed a thousand drops of sweat than to waste a grain of food.
Times have changed, but this energy has not changed.
Green storage code for granaries
The newly built reservoir area directly under the Yutian reservoir is a different story.
In the laboratory of the one-stop service center, various testing instruments are lined up.
The shallow round warehouse and nitrogen generator room are the protagonists here.
Inject nitrogen into the airtight warehouse. If there is sufficient nitrogen in the warehouse, the food will oxidize more slowly and will not deteriorate easily. If the nitrogen concentration is increased and maintained for a period of time, the insect eggs will not survive, thus achieving food preservation.
This is called nitrogen controlled atmosphere grain storage, which is green and safe.
On the large central control screen in Beijing, the temperature and humidity data in the warehouse are beating in real time. Every move in the granary thousands of miles away is gathered on a screen.
The traditional management and protection method of relying on people to patrol warehouses and protect grain based on experience is becoming history.
Ballast stones at the port
The second stop is Qinhuangdao.
The seaport branch of the Qinhuangdao direct warehouse of Sinograin faces the port. Standing on the viewing platform and looking into the distance, the dock is directly connected to the granary.
Grain ships dock to unload grain. The food does not fall to the ground, but is sent directly to the warehouse.
The panoramic sand table outlines the layout of the reservoir area, and the digital and intelligent intensive management and control center is the "brain" of the entire reservoir area.
The intelligent inspection system automatically completes sampling and inspection. The entire process is closed, leaving traces of data, and the objectivity and fairness of the test results are guaranteed.
Rows of high-tech grain storage equipment are on duty day and night.
Such a port granary is not only a grain circulation hub, but also a reserve "ballast stone".
Wisdom in a silo
The last stop, Tangshan.
The Sinograin Tangshan Direct Depot is located in the Tangshan Harbor Economic Development Zone, 500 meters away from the Tangshan Port Terminal.
The history room in the reservoir area records the inheritance of generations of central grain storage people.
An Zhiming Innovation Studio is an innovation center for front-line grain storage technicians. From small inventions in technological innovation to new grain storage techniques, grassroots thinking has trickled down into the granary bit by bit.
The central control room and inspection room are fully equipped. The entire process of warehousing, storage and delivery is digitized.
The most shocking thing is the red flag warehouse No. 815.
Huge silos rose from the ground. Heavy amounts of food are quietly stored inside.
Under the silence, there is a complete set of intelligent food protection equipment such as ventilation, temperature measurement, and air conditioning. The grain pile is breathing and data is flowing.
Large capacity, high efficiency, green and low consumption. This is the current construction level of domestic modern reserve granaries.
The granary is no longer a warehouse
From the self-reliance of "four grain depots" to green grain storage and intelligent management and control - what has changed is grain storage technology and warehouse-type facilities. What remains unchanged is the drive to “save grain for the country.”
Today's granaries of great powers are no longer just houses where grain is stored.
It has four layers: a fine work style passed down from generation to generation, independent and controllable core technology, a circulation network that connects water and land, and a dedicated grain storage army.
Without one layer, it is not stable.
It's a matter of ability. Being able to survive is the foundation.
Keeping is a responsibility. Not wasting is conscience.
Global food situation is undercurrent
Looking away from the land of Yanzhao, the risks of the world's food pattern clearly emerge.
The 2026 "State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World" report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other agencies shows that in 2025, about 645 million people around the world will suffer from hunger. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that conflict remains the primary cause of severe food insecurity around the world.
The Black Sea waterway is blocked and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is under pressure. El Niño stirs up the global climate, causing droughts and floods in many places, severely damaging production in major grain-producing areas. Global fertilizer prices have risen sharply, and shipping freight has also skyrocketed. Some major grain exporting countries have tightened export controls, and grain trade protectionism continues to rise.
The International Grains Council predicts that global grain trade volume may shrink in 2026/27, and carryover stocks may drop to 610 million tons.
When food becomes a bargaining chip in geopolitical games, food prices can become weapons in the game. If the job is in the hands of others, the country's security will be exposed.
Who will feed China?
In the 1990s, the international community asked: Who will feed China?
China's answer is written on its own land.
China accounts for less than 9% of the world's arable land and 6% of its freshwater resources, and feeds nearly 20% of the world's population. In 2024, grain output will exceed 1.4 trillion catties for the first time. Per capita grain consumption is about 500 kilograms, which is higher than the internationally recognized safety line of 400 kilograms.
The red line of 1.8 billion acres of cultivated land has been maintained, and a total of more than 1 billion acres of high-standard farmland has been built.
The self-sufficiency rate in food rations is over 100%, and the self-sufficiency rate in cereals is over 95%.
The logic is very clear: focus on us, base ourselves on the country, ensure production capacity, moderate imports, and provide scientific and technological support.
Not closed, but autonomous. It is to take the initiative in one's own hands under open conditions.
Looking at China in the first year
Food security is related to the foundation of a great country.
For a large country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, this is not an economic issue, but a political issue; it is not a tactical issue, but a strategic issue.
In the first year of the year, the external environment was turbulent, and internal certainty became increasingly precious. Hedging the uncertainty of the international environment with the certainty of stable domestic production and supply - this is the choice given by China.
The modern grain warehouses of China Grain Reserves are the micro-level implementation point of this strategy.
Technology empowers. Nitrogen gas conditioning, intelligent inspection, and online monitoring - reduce losses and maintain quality.
Institutional support. Central reserve, local reserve, multi-layer ballast; inspection and separation, blind sample testing to prevent and control risks.
The fire is passed down from generation to generation. From "Eighteen Generals" to "An Zhiming Innovation Studio", the people who store grain are here to protect the grain.
Looking across the country, there are countless central grain reserve depots like Yutian, Qinhuangdao, and Tangshan dotted around the country, forming the "ballast stone" of the national grain reserve.
Walking across the land of Yanzhao, you can feel the beating pulse of the great country’s granary.
Looking at China in its first year, the answer may be hidden in these silent granaries. Using technology, systems and the drive not to spoil a grain of food, we can firmly hold the jobs of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people in our own hands.
If the warehouse is solid, the world will be safe.
Cangqun was silent.
What’s inside is the confidence of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people.
