Yesterday we toured the Dujiangyan water conservancy project.  It has been named by the UN as a “World Heritage” site, and thus, has become quite popular as a tourist site.

Over 2200 years ago, a governor named Li Bing stood on a high place and looked at the river.  Every year, floods devastated the whole area.  People characterized the river as a fierce dragon who killed their children.  Li Bing devised a plan to divert the raging water during the rainy season, and save it during the drier season.  He cut through a mountain to make a channel to divide the river.  He was quite the engineer.  He divided the water flow in a 60/40 % split.  He made spillways, not exactly a dam, but a way to open or close the channel according to the need.  His system has been in use continually all this time, although it has been updated with modern materials.  Li Bing was then honored for subduing the dragon.  His temple stands today, and people still burn incense to honor him.  His instructions are carved in stone.  Artwork depicts the projects, and the annual ceremony of releasing the water.

You can read all about this on various websites which describe it more accurately and with pictures.  Put in “Dujiangyan Irrigation System” to your search engine.  You’ll be amazed.

We spent several hours there, walking around the project and walking in the mountain paths.  It was cool and rainy, quite comfortable for hiking, and I was glad I had my hiking boots and wool socks.  (The best ever socks from LL Bean) We didn’t go all the way into the many temples up in the high places, but we saw some of the statues in the entryways.  This place is the “birthplace of Daoism.”    I don’t know much about that.  In fact, my general feeling here is that the more I learn, the less I know.