Dujiangyan Irrigation System
The Dujiangyan Irrigation System, situated on the Minjiang River in Sichuan Province, west of the Chengdu Plain, was con- structed during the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.) under the direction of Li Bing, governor of Shu in the State of Qin, together with his son. It is the world's oldest and only functioning water conservation project that uses a unique method of diverting water without constructing a dam. It has been included on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID)'s list of World Heritage Irrigation Structures.
The Dujiangyan Irrigation System is a remarkable example of how harmonious human-nature interactions play out when it comes to conservation and management of land and water to benefit humanity. It takes full advantage of the unique geographical conditions of the area where terrain is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. Rather than constructing a dam, the system relies on the river's natural flow and distributes the water based on the specific topography at the mountain outlet of the river, as well as water circulation and water veins. The embankments, diversion channels, flood discharge outlets, sediment con- trol, and flow regulation are interdependent, functioning together as a cohesive whole that provides protection against flooding and facilitates irrigation, water transportation, and general water use. The Chengdu Plain owes a great deal to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System for being the "Land of Abundance" for over 2,200 years. German geologist Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen once praised the Dujiangyan Irrigation System as unparalleled.
都江堰
都江堰建于公元前3世纪，位于成都平原西部的岷江，是战国时期秦国蜀郡太守李冰及其子率众修建的一项大型水利工程，也是世界上年代最久、唯一留存、以无坝引水为特征的宏大水利工程，列入世界文化遗产名录、世界自然遗产名录、世界灌溉工程遗产名录。
都江堰水利工程是天人合一、人水和谐的典范，实现了人、地、水三者高度协和统一。都江堰充分利用当地西北高、东南低的地理条件，根据江河出山口处特殊的地形、水脉、水势，乘势利导，无坝引水，自流灌溉，使堤防、分水、泄洪、排沙、控流相互依存，共为体系，保证了防洪、灌溉、水运和社会用水综合效益的充分发挥。都江堰建堰2200多年来经久不衰，让成都平原变为润泽、富足的"天府之国"。德国地理学家李希霍芬曾称赞都江堰完善的灌溉方法无与伦比。