To maintain the smooth development of the project, Yu began visiting the construction sites on January 17 where he worked days and nights.

On the third day there, he was struck down by a sudden disease and died despite receiving emergency medical treatment, said Ji Weizhi, a colleague of Yu.

During the past two decades, Yu had compiled pver 1,000 GB of electronic materials about the Dongting Lake covering data of almost every water system and project location related to the Dongting Lake.

He is dubbed an encyclopedia of the water conservancy of Dongting Lake.

After he passed away, his colleagues found two things in his briefcase - a meeting memo and records of his party membership dues.