Dujiangyan, located in the Chengdu Plain, is a 2000-year-old gravity irrigation engineering wonder. It is renowned for its three core projects: the “Fish-Mouth Diverting Bank,” the “Flying Sand Weir,” and the “Bottle-Neck Mouth,” considered a brilliant gem in the history of water conservancy worldwide. The Fish-Mouth Diverting Bank, like a giant axe splitting the Min River, divides the river into the inner and outer reaches, precisely regulating water flow; the Flying Sand Weir automatically removes sediment based on the principle of “water rising and falling,” ensuring the smooth operation of the irrigation channel; and the Bottle-Neck Mouth acts as a natural sluice gate, controlling water flow speed, achieving “water and earth controlled by humans” for a thousand years of prosperity. The three structures are naturally formed, without dams, yet they have nourished the fertile Chengdu Plain, and continue to sustain the vast lands of western Sichuan.
