Dujiangyan is where Li Bing 李冰 diverted the Min River 岷江 in the 200s BC after the kingdom of Qin (秦) conquered Sichuan. He built a large levee in the middle of the river and then cutting a channel through a mountain to water the plains around Chengdu. The resulting increase in food production made Sichuan a land of milk and honey, and enabled king Ying Zhen of Qin to conquer the rest of China and become the first emperor.
Original construction technique for the dam works, then packed together with mud. It has since been reinforced with concrete
The Min Jiang is full of silt. To prevent the waterworks from silting shut and causing floods, Li Bing devised a way for the water to deposit most of its silt by moving slowly through a sequence of small bays. The difference in silt content can be clearly seen further south in Leshan where the Min Jiang meets the Dadu He.
The opening to the channel that water flows through to be distributed onto the Chengdu plain.
The Chinese original warns you against knocking your head when boarding a trolley.
This bridge moves a lot, and makes you cross it in suspense.
The so-called fish mouth 鱼嘴, which divides the water of the Min river 岷江.
