The Dujiangyan Irrigation system is a miracle of ancient Chinese ingenuity. Before the completion of Dujiangyan, the plains around the Min River were prone to floods due to the fast moving Min River flowing down from its mountain source and meeting flat ground. It was in the Warring States period about 2200 years ago, that the engineer Li Bing and his son led the construction of the Dujiangyan irrigation system that tamed the Min River and irrigated the surrounding plains.
The central brilliant idea of the project is the annual silt removal and maintenance plan devised by Li Bing that ensures the projects long-term usefulness. The actual structure of the project includes a dyke that divides the Min River into inner and outer flows. The inner flow is then redirected to irrigate local farm land. One interesting thing about the irrigation system is the project is ongoing and has expanded to more than three times its original irrigated area of 1 million hectares.
The Fulong Temple (Fulong Guan) was erected in 168 AD to commemorate the taming of the river. Fulong Temple sits in Lidui Park overlooking the split between the inner and outer flows of the Min River. Also, Li Bing’s genius is again celebrated at the Two Kings Temple (Erwang Miao) near the dyke. The “two kings”, of course, are Li Bing and his son, Er Lang. Two Kings Temple can be found in the western section of Yulei Park overlooking the dyke. There are cable cars that run between Lidui Park and Two Kings Temple in Yulei Park. The relatively high fares of RMB25 per ride keep the cable car’s passengers to a reasonable number.
How to get there: Buses to Dujiangyan run from Chengdu’s Ximen bus station every morning from 7am to 10am. Also buses are available from the Chengdu north bus station leaving every hour until 5:30pm. Returning to Chengdu, there are minibuses leaving from along Taiping Jie near the Dujiangyan Bus Station until approximately 8pm.
Chinese Net Friends’ Suggestions:
I recommend to you a typical itinerary, that you can go in at the south gate and travel quickly through the park, memorial and shop, then cross a bridge and take the one-way car to Fish Mouth (Yuzui) with RMB10 fare. Go over the chain bridge (Suoqiao) to Erwang Temple and Qinyan Tower after the Fish Mouth tour. The chain bridge is very characteristic and a little dangerous when the current is swift. Additionally, you also could enjoy the whole scenery of Dujiangyan Irrigation System from Qinyan Tower, where you can go out of the scenic spot. This way, you can take the bus NO.1 to have lunch at DICOS and go to Qingcheng Mountain or Qingcheng Back Mountain from the Bus Transport Centre. There are a lot of residences near Qingcheng Mountain which are 1-4 star grade hotels and some local houses spreading over the back mountain. The charges are 40-80 yuan one night and the cuisine here tastes partially spicy.
