Dujiangyan

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dujiangyan irrigation system
Location	Dujiangyan City, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Part of	Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Criteria	Cultural: (ii)(iv)(vi)
Reference	1001
Inscription	2000 (24th Session)
Coordinates	31°0′6″N 103°36′19″E / 31.00167°N 103.60528°E / 31.00167; 103.60528
Location of Dujiangyan in Sichuan Show map of Sichuan Dujiangyan (China) Show map of China

The Dujiangyan (Chinese: 都江堰; pinyin: Dūjiāngyàn) is an ancient irrigation system in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan, China. Originally constructed around 256 BC by the State of Qin as an irrigation and flood control project, it is still in use today. The system's infrastructure develops on the Min River (Minjiang), the longest tributary of the Yangtze. The area is in the west part of the Chengdu Plain, between the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan Plateau. Originally, the Min would rush down from the Min Mountains and slow down abruptly after reaching the Chengdu Plain, filling the watercourse with silt, thus making the nearby areas extremely prone to floods. King Zhao of Qin commissioned the project, and the construction of the Dujiangyan harnessed the river using a new method of channeling and dividing the water rather than simply damming it. The water management scheme is still in use today to irrigate over 5,300 km² (2,000 sq mi) of land in the region^[1] and has produced comprehensive benefits in flood control, irrigation, water transport and general water consumption.^[2] Begun over 2,250 years ago, it now irrigates 668,700 hectares of farmland. The Dujiangyan, the Zhengguo Canal in Shaanxi and the Lingqu Canal in Guangxi are collectively known as the "three great hydraulic engineering projects of the Qin."^[3]

Dujiangyan Irrigation System were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000. It has also been declared a State Priority Protected Site, among the first batch of National Scenic Areas and Historical Sites, and a National ISO14000 Demonstration Area.^[2]