Sichuan Dujiangyan Irrigation System, China

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Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Dujiangyan Irrigation System is in northwest of the Qu County of Sichuan Province and is 59 kilometers away from Chengdu City.

It is one of the most famous irrigation systems in ancient China and even until today, it remains one of the highly praised irrigation systems in the world.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System is located in the junction of Yangtze and Minjiang River (Minjiang River is one of Yangtze River's tributaries).

The Er Wang Temple ("Two Kings Temple") was built at the foothill of Yushan Mountain, to commemorate the builder Li Bing and his son. The 40-meters-high temple is relying on the hill and facing the irrigation system.

In the temple, there is many inscriptions talk about irrigation. In addition, all the methods invented by Li Bing and his successors. There is a stone statue of Li Bing in the center of the temple palace.

During the years of Warring States Period (403 ~ 222B.C.), the flood happen in spring and summer every year. When the flood comes, the narrow river way can not hold-up, so the water would flood into Chengdu Plain and on to Guan County destroying the houses, crops, and animals costing a lots damage.

When the flood went away there are nothing left. Yet on the eastside of the Guan County, the Mount Yulei stopped the water and the people there were tormente by the drought, people in that area suffers a great deal.

In 256B.C, Li Bing became the official of Sichuan Province. With the help of his son, they found farmers with some experience on irrigation. Li Bing made a decision to chisel the Yulei Mountain, after he investigate the environment. They built couple diversion channels so that the floodwater can be lead in to the east Guan County, where there is a drought; another could do the job of relieving the flooding situation in the Qu County.

The construction divided the flood water of Minjiang River into two. One flows into Yangtze River, another will flow towards the Chengdu Plain and irrigate the area. At that time, there was no gunpowder. So how did they chisel the hill?

Li Bing had a great idea; he fired up a part of the hill in extreme heat and than made it cool down in an instant. The rocks on that part of the hill would crack open, therefore the workers could easily remove the rocks. The channel go through the hill later named "Bao Ping Kou", and all the disasters went away when the constructions was done.

The irrigation system is doing his job until today, so its reputation is all over the world. The surrounding areas are unique, so that for hundreds of years Dujiangyan Irrigation System is not only a water diversion site but also a famous tourist attraction.