The Dujiangyan Irrigation System was built during the Warring States period 战国时代 of China. It is built along the Min River 岷江 in Sichuan province just a hour away from modern Chengdu. In those times, the Min River would regularly flood and cause trouble to the citizens. The governor of Qin 秦, Li Bing 李冰, discovered that the annual melt water from the surrounding mountains cause the Min River to overflow every spring.
While building a dam might have been a good solution. Li Bing also needed to keep the Min River open for transportation, so instead a leevee was planned which will divide the water of the Min River into two, the inner stream will be diverted to the fields, while the outer stream will continue on its original course. The leevee was built from rocks fastened together in woven baskets, so as not to be carried away by the powerful current.
That was the easy part. To get the diverted water to the fields a channel needed to be cut out from the mountain rock. Since we are talking about technology 2,300 years ago, they used fire and water to heat and cool then crack the rock and enable it to be removed. With such ingenuity, the project was completed in four years and the diverted water has made the Sichuan basin the most fertile and productive agricultural region in China.
The main feature of the system is the leevee, it is a triangular shaped artificial island that diverts the water from the river to the channel. The tip of the leevee is called the Fish Mouth Leevee 鱼嘴 because it is supposedly shaped like a fish’s mouth. There is nothing really much to see here at the Fish Mouth Leevee aside from the Min River furiously rushing downstream. You can see how deep the water is since it already has a greenish blue hue to it.
There is bridge that connects the Fish Mouth Leevee to the opposite shore of the inner stream. This bridge was known as one of the ancient bridges in China but it has since been replaced with a sturdier one. You won’t want to be walking on a 2,300 year old wooden bridge, right? Unfortunately, the bridge is being repaired and this would have been the way to the viewing platform on the other shore. It’s too bad because we won’t have time to go back and climb to the viewing platfrom.
The Dujiangyan Irrigation System was an engineering marvel that continues to amaze scientists to this day. It serves as an alternative to damming since fish can still swim through it. Creating a project like this now is already a difficult task with all our modern technology. It is truly incredible that this was accomplished 2,300 years ago. This proves the genius of Li Bing all the more.
Now I understand the significance of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, and also its significance to the history and success of the province of Sichuan. It is also important that we see how Li Bing was able to create this while still being in harmony with nature all of 2,300 years ago. It truly deserves to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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