Ancient hydraulic engineering feat

ALTHOUGH the Chengdu Plain is called the “land of abundance,” ancient people living there suffered from severe annual floods from the Min River, the longest tributary of the Yangtze River.

Around 256 BC, when the state of Qin was poised to conquer the whole country, officials realized that the occupation of the Chengdu Plain would give them great military advantage over the other six states.

So they recruited Li Bing, a local hydrologist and engineer, as governor and told him to solve the flood problem.

After five years of efforts, Li, his son and thousands of local laborers managed to build the Dujiangyan irrigation and floodcontrol system, which is believed to be the oldest system of its kind still in use in the world.

It harnessed the river by using a new method of channeling that divided the river into an inner waterway and an outer waterway. In addition to controlling floods, it helped irrigate surrounding farmland, making the Sichuan Basin one of the richest agricultural areas in China.

In 2000, Dujiangyan was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, along with Mount Qingcheng. Today it’s become a tourist destination.

Historical sites, such as the Erwang Temple, or Temple of the Two Kings, and Fulong Temple, or Monastery of Subduing the Dragon, are popular tourist destinations. Both temples were built as a tribute to Li and his son, who were worshipped as gods by locals.

The story of how the pair managed to tame the river has taken on mystic elements. Some people believe that the father and son defeated a giant dragon before building Dujiangyan, and Fulong Temple marks the spot where the dragon met his end.

Every year, a temple fair is held in Erwang Temple on June 24 and 26 on the lunar calendar. In ancient times, activities such as bullfighting were popular at the fair, but today’s fair-goers have to be content with performances of Sichuan Opera.

Lidui Park is the best spot to get a panoramic view of Dujiangyan. Lidui is the second shield for flood control when the first shield, the Yuzui Diversional Channel, is out of action.

There is direct transport from Dujiangyang City and Chengdu to the Dujiangyan Scenic Area.

The No. 9 bus from downtown Dujiangyan City and Metro Line 2 from Chengdu go to Lidui Park in the scenic area. Admission fee of the scenic area is 90 yuan.