DuJiangYan Irrigation system, two thousand year wonder

Till this day, the Chengdu plains gets the drinking water from the irrigation system built over 2300 years ago by the governor of Sichuan Li Bing and his son. The DuJiangYan irrigation system is still functioning today and is truly a marvelous feat of engineering. It is also the world’s earliest and most successful water irrigation system without the use of a dam. Prior to the irrigation system the Chengdu plains is prone to frequent flooding from the rain and runoff from the snow capped mountains. After the irrigation system is complete, Chengdu plains became China’s most bountiful agricultural region, getting the name 天府之国 bread basket country.

Panoramic view from the top of the Qin Yan tower 秦堰楼

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 view from tower

There are three parts to the irrigation

Yuzui, fish mouth levee which separates the river into a main stream and secondary stream
Feishayan, flying sand weir which channels excess water off
BaoPingKou, bottle neck opening which is a narrow opening in the secondary stream to channel drinking water into the Chengdu plains

Main Entrance

At the main entrance is a piazza where you can purchase tickets and hire guides. The tickets are 90 yuan for an adult and you have to purchase the tram tickets separately. Once you enter, there is a narrow and long passage where water from the Min river flows

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 piazza near entrance

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 central walkway

Below is a replica of the simple wooden, bamboo and rock structure that was used and still is buried under the Min river today. The bamboo weave is filled with rocks and still allows some water to pass through.

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 replica structures used 2000 years ago

The ErWang temple is built by locals to thank LiBing and his son for doing such a great deed to the people of Sichuan.

The sign says the great servant of the Shu nation ( Sichuan)

Once you exit the temple you will see a water stream coming towards you, this is the second part of the irrigation system known as the FeiShaYan. This is the secondary stream that leads into the water opening that provides stable drinking water for Chengdu.

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 FeiShaYan

This is the narrow opening that took eight years and leveraging fire to expand and water to cool the rock to break an opening through the rocks. This opening provides steady flow of drinking water to Chengdu. During the summer rain season, extra water flows is channeled through the other opening on the side

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 water inlet to Chengdu

If water levels are higher, water channels to this area left of the BaoPingKou, ensuring that the Chengdu plains are never flooded. This is a marvelous idea and uses the natural geography to auto balance water levels. Ingenious.

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 water overflow area

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 flood area in winter months

Then you can proceed towards the first part of the irrigation system which is the YuZui, fish mouth levee. You can take a tram and it will take around 10 minutes to get there. Throughout the entire tram ride, you are on an island that was hand built to separate the main Min River into the mainstream and the secondary stream that provides water to Chengdu plains.

Here is the YuZui which splits the Min River into two streams, the main stream on the left and the secondary stream on the right which provides water for Chengdu and channels off the excess runoff, ensuring that the downstream does not flood.

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 Fish mouth

Notice the water flow at the top of the river, there is a slight bend from the upstream to the downstream and LiBing designed so that at the turn of the river, by means of underwater currents, the top layer of water without silt and sand flows right to the secondary stream where it provides drinking water to Chengdu. Natural water filtration system built in. Ingenious.

The bridge connects the island to the mainland and people used to cross over by boat and it was a dangerous task where many perished on boats. A couple raised money and built the bridge. The locals named the bridge the couple bridge to honor them. The bridge was torn down in 1970 and replaced with a modern suspension bridge.

DuJiangYan irrigation system 都江堰 couples bridge

Tips:

Good idea to see DuJiangYan and the QinCheng mountain together
Can also see the DuJiangYan panda conservatory, less crowded than the Chengdu one
Taking the tram can save 1 hour of walking round trip
If you have more time, can climb the tower after crossing the couples bridge

Transportation, 60 KMs from Chengdu

1. Get to Chengdu Railway Station first and take the bullet trains to Dujiangyan City, only half an hour or so. Bus 4, 6, 9, 19, or 31 goes to the entrance.

2. Take a bus from East Railway Station Bus Station, Xinnanmen Bus Station, or Chadianzi Bus Station directly to Dujiangyan Scenic Area.

Opening hours: 08:00-17:30 (Dec - Mar); 08:00-18:00 (other time)

Ticket price: 90 yuan

Sight-seeing tram: CNY 15 (round-trip) and CNY 10 (single trip)

Place to search on Baidu map / Gaode map: 都江堰景区-二王庙

Address: 成都市都江堰市百花岭路54号