In China, Chengdu is always praised as the Tian Fu Zhi Guo, which
means 'Nature's Storehouse'. Over 2,200 years ago, the city was
threatened by the frequent floods caused by flooding of the Minjiang
River (a tributary of the Yangtze River
). Li Bing, a local official of Sichuan Province at that time,
together with his son, decided to construct an irrigation system
on the Minjiang River to prevent flooding. After a lengthy study
and a lot of hard work by the local people, the great Dujiangyan
Irrigation Project was completed. Since then, the Chengdu Plain
has been free of flooding and the people have been living peacefully
and affluently. Now, the project is honored as the 'Treasure of
Sichuan', which still plays a crucial role in draining off floodwater,
irrigating farms and providing water resources for more than 50
cities in the province.
Dujiangyan is the oldest and only surviving no-dam irrigation
system in the world; and a wonder in the development of Chinese
science. The project consists of three important parts, namely
Yuzui, Feishayan and Baopingkou scientifically designed to automatically
control the water flow of the rivers from the mountains to the
plains throughout the year.
Yuzui,
like a big fish lying in the Minjiang River, is a watershed dividing
the river into two parts: inner river and outside river. Feisha
Yan is a spillway that diverts the sand and stones of the inner
river into the outer river. Baoping Kou, like a neck of a bottle,
is used to bring water into the inner river from Minjiang. At
the same time, Baoping Kou controls the amount of the intake water
due to its reasonable location. These three parts interact with
each other perfectly to form an effective water conservancy project.
During the low-water season, 60% of the Minjiang water is brought
into the inner river for irrigation while 40% of the water is
drawn into the outside river. The situation is reversed in the
flood season ensuring the water supply for irrigation and protection
from flooding on the Chengdu Plain.
There is a magnificent bridge called the Anlan Cable Bridge
crossing the Minjiang River above Yuzui, which is the most scenic
place in Dujiangyan. The construction of the bridge originally
commenced before the Song
Dynasty (960-1279). At that time, the body of the bridge was
constructed with wooden blocks and the handrails were made of
bamboo. Recently the wood and bamboo were replaced with steel
and reinforced concrete to ensure the security of the visitors.
Seen from afar, the bridge looks like a rainbow hanging over the
river. From the bridge, you can clearly see the entire layout
of the Dujiangyan system.