Chairman Mao said to Shi Ruoyi, the third mate and young woman on the Jiangxia ship: "When you don't understand something, you are often afraid of it. Just like snakes, when people don't understand them and haven't grasped their characteristics, they feel very afraid. But once they understand it and grasp its characteristics and weaknesses, they are no longer afraid and can even catch it." Then, Chairman Mao asked Shi Ruoyi: "How long have you been working on the ship?" When Shi Ruoyi said it had been more than four years, Chairman Mao turned to ask First Mate Yang: "And you?" First Mate Yang replied: "More than thirty years." Chairman Mao said kindly to Shi Ruoyi: "You must learn from them well. These veteran workers are your good teachers. They have very rich experience on the water, and much knowledge cannot be learned from books."

Chairman Mao also said: "The waterways in some places are very bad. Building a large water gate in the Three Gorges will generate electricity, facilitate navigation, and also prevent floods and irrigate..."

Chairman Mao said to the captain of the Jiangxia ship: "Your experience is rich. You should take on more apprentices and pass on your skills to young people."

(According to relevant reports in the *People's Daily* on April 15, 1958)