The 2,200-Year-Old Irrigation Marvel
Plan My Trip →The Dujiangyan irrigation system, built in 256 BC, is one of the greatest engineering achievements in human history. Still in use today, it tamed the Min River and transformed the Chengdu Plain into one of China's most fertile regions — earning its title as 'the origin of fertile lands.'
Designed by Li Bing, a governor of the Qin state, Dujiangyan was built without a dam. Instead, a system of levees, channels, and a 'fish-mouth' diversion island guides the Min River's flow — controlling floods in wet seasons and providing irrigation in dry ones. It has operated continuously for over 2,200 years.
The fish-mouth levee splits the river into an inner channel (for irrigation) and an outer channel (for flood discharge). The Flying Sand Weir releases excess water and sediment, while the Bottle-Neck Channel regulates the final flow into the Chengdu Plain. Ingeniously, it needs no dam and causes minimal environmental disruption.
Dujiangyan is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a masterpiece of sustainable engineering. It enabled the Chengdu Plain to become a 'land of abundance,' supporting agriculture, population growth, and cultural development for more than two millennia.
Located about 60 kilometers northwest of Chengdu, Dujiangyan is an easy day trip. Walk the Anlan (Couple's) Bridge, visit Erwang Temple (dedicated to Li Bing and his son), and see the engineering up close. The scenic mountain setting adds to the experience.
The Dujiangyan Panda Base — home to the panda keeper program — is nearby, making it easy to combine a visit to the irrigation system with a panda volunteer experience in one day.
Dujiangyan's harmony with nature — working with the river rather than against it — is increasingly recognized as a model of sustainable engineering, as relevant today as it was two millennia ago.