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.
This ancient waterworks about 60 km northwest of Chengdu transformed the region. It is an amazing feat of engineering and construction and is a wonder of the world, and is a UNESCO world heritage site. This waterworks is still used to irrigate 5,300 square kilometers of land in the region. For thousands of years, it has helped to make Sichuan a prosperous agricultural province in China. It was used to not only control flooding on the Min River, but also to irrigate an arid region on the other side of a mountain around Chengdu. Visitors to the site will gain an appreciation of the ingenuity and history of people of the Qin Dynasty over 2000 years ago .
It was built about the year 256 BC to provide irrigation water and to control the Minjiang River. Water surging in the river from annual runoff from the Minshan m ountain range destroyed property and killed people. So an official in the Kingdom of Qin named Li Bing decided to build an artificial levee in the river to control the flooding. It is said that he received money for the crucial project from King Zhao of Qin and utilized tens of thousands of laborers. King Zhao sought to strengthen his kingdom and conquer the kingdoms around him.
There are also historical sites around Dujiangyan. Fulong Temple is said to be the place where Li Bing subjugated the evil dragon during the construction process of Dujiangyan. The stone statue of Li Bing caved in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) is displayed in the front courtyard of the temple; is the earliest round sculptured stone statue in China. In the back courtyard of the temple, you can see the working principles of Dujiangyan replicated in an electric model of the irrigation system.
There are three major parts to this irrigation system. The first is a well designed levee named Yuzui (Fish Mouth) erected in the middle of the river that was shaped to control the amount of water that entered the two channels. The levee is shown in the picture. The second part is the channel of the irrigation project that was cut through a mountain by means of heating the rock and then pouring water on it. The narrow opening to the irrigation system regulated the amount of water entering the system. It is called Baopingkou ( Cherished Vase Mouth ) . It is said that the 20 meter wide channel required 8 years to finish. The third part is a spillway called Feishayan that was dug to discharge water and silt.
Erwang Temple is located on the mountain by the right side bank of the Minjiang River. It was built to commemorate Li Bing and his son by the ancient people. The temple retains the architectural style of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the whole environment here is quite serene and beautiful. Many Chinese characters depicting experiences of water control are engraved on the stone walls of the temple. In the Grand Hall, you can see the vivid statues of Li and his son, who are worshiped by the local people every day. Incense has never ceased to burn in the temple. For over twenty two hundred years, the people have held memorial ceremonies for Li and his son. Today the main activities are the Temple Fair held from June 24th to June 26th in Chinese lunar calendar and the Releasing Water Festival on Tomb Sweeping Day.
Location:
It is at the west of the Dujiangyan city, 60 kilometers northwest of Chengdu, where the Minjiang River rushes down to the Chengdu plain from the mountainous area.
Ticket Price:
90 yuan
How to get there:
Tourist coaches to Dujiangyan runs every 10 minutes from Chengdu railway station plaza and Ximen bus station everyday. Ticket price: air-conditioning bus: 15 yuan; normal bus: 10 yuan. Air-conditioning bus doesn't stop on the way and is faster than the normal one.
After getting off at the Dujiangyan Bus Station, you can get to Qinyan Lou by bus No.1 (RMB 20 by taxi), or the gate of the Li Pile Park by bus No. 4 (RMB 15 by taxi).