Dujiangyan, Ancient irrigation system in Dujiangyan City, China
Dujiangyan is a water management network on the Min River in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan province. It guides the river flow through a sequence of forks, low dams, and weirs across the Chengdu Plain, still supplying fields and villages with water today.
The State of Qin built the network in 256 BC under the direction of Li Bing to tame the Min River floods and irrigate the plain. His son continued the construction, securing the region's food supply for centuries that followed.
The name refers to the Yuzui levee that divides the river, shaped like a fish mouth that directs floodwater into a spillway. Visitors walk along the original channels and watch the water distribute itself at each fork without mechanical help.
The main structures sit on both banks of the river and can be visited on foot, with bridges connecting the access points. Visitors who want to see how it works should come during the rainy season, when water volumes are higher.
Every spring, workers clean the divider by temporarily sealing the riverbed with stone enclosures. This process still follows instructions that Li Bing left on stone tablets, some of which are displayed on site.
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