Dujiangyan and “stability”

By Nirmal P. Acharya

Recently, French President Macron visited China. Besides holding talks in the meeting room in Beijing, the two presidents also traveled thousands of miles to Dujiangyan in Sichuan Province, standing at the dam mouth to have a meaningful exchange.

Dujiangyan is located in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. It is a large-scale water conservancy project constructed and still in use in ancient China, and is hailed as the “ancestor of world water culture”. Here is its core introduction:

I. Historical Background

· Construction period: 256 BC – 251 BC (during the Warring States Period)

· Initiators: Li Bing and his son Li Er (Li Bing and his son Li Erlang)

· Purpose: To control the floods of the Min River, irrigate the Chengdu Plain, and provide food security for the unification of the Qin State.

II. Engineering Principles

Dujiangyan adopts the “damless water diversion” design, and operates through the coordinated efforts of three main projects:

1. Fish-mouth Diversion Dam · Shaped like a fish mouth, it divides the Minjiang River into the Inner River (for irrigation water) and the Outer River (for flood discharge). · Utilizing the terrain and the circular flow of bends, it automatically regulates the water volume during dry and rainy seasons (“4:6 diversion”: 60% of the water is diverted from the Inner River during the dry season, and 60% is discharged from the Outer River during the rainy season).

2. Flying Sand Weir Flood Drainage Channel · Located at the lower reaches of the Inner River, it uses centrifugal force to discharge the sediment into the Outer River, achieving “2:8 sand diversion” (80% of the sediment is removed). · When the water level is too high, it automatically overflows to prevent flood disasters in the irrigation area.

3. Bottle-mouth Water Diversion Outlet · Manually excavated narrow passage formed by the artificial opening of the Yueli Mountain, it controls the water volume entering the Chengdu Plain, like a “water gate”.

III. Great Achievements

· Transforming harm into benefit: Transforming the Min River, which was once a “damaging river” due to frequent floods, into a comprehensive water system that serves irrigation, shipping, and domestic water needs for the benefit of the people.

· Irrigation area: Anciently, it irrigated approximately 3 million mu of land, and in modern times, the area has expanded to over 10 million mu (in the western Sichuan Plain).

· Continuity to this day: It has been operating continuously for over 2,300 years and is the only ancient ecological water conservancy project still existing in the world.

· Cultural heritage: It was included in the World Cultural Heritage List in 2000 (by UNESCO) and was listed as a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage Site in 2006.

IV. Culture and Impact

· Engineering Philosophy: Embodies the ecological wisdom of “following nature’s laws” and “harmony between man and nature”, with the engineering structure in harmonious coexistence with nature.

· Historical Significance: Facilitated the emergence of the “Land of Abundance”, providing an economic foundation for the unification of the Qin Dynasty and subsequent dynasties.

· Modern Value: Still plays a role in flood control and irrigation to this day, serving as a model of the combination of water conservancy projects and cultural heritage.

Dujiangyan is not only an ancient technological wonder, but also an eternal symbol of Chinese civilization’s harmonious coexistence with nature and its benefits for humanity. Its design concept still holds significant implications for global water resource management to this day.

President Xi made an official announcement to French President Macron and took this opportunity to make a similar announcement to the entire world. The main points are as follows:

The Eastern wisdom of “harmony between man and nature”. China hopes to use Dujiangyan as a tangible example to vividly demonstrate the sustainable development philosophy of “adapting to local conditions and following the natural course” in Chinese civilization.

2. The diplomatic practice of “civilized dialogue”. In the scenic area of Dujiangyan, “enjoying tea by the water and discussing the world”, this was conducted in a relaxed manner to carry out in-depth strategic communication with the outside world, demonstrating cultural openness and strategic openness.

3. The principle of “harmony without uniformity”. The Dujiangyan project follows the laws of water flow rather than engaging in direct confrontation, embodying the wisdom of “harmony”. This metaphorically represents that the way for China to interact with other countries lies in respecting differences, seeking consensus, and achieving win-win cooperation.

However, after reading this news report, all I could think of was the word “stability”. Dujiangyan, which has been in operation for over 2,300 years, is truly a case of “stability”.

Nepal can be described as “unstable”. In 2019, Chinese Presiden Xi visited Nepal and had contact and communication with all the important leaders of our country and various political parties at that time. Where are these leaders now? They were all ousted from power by a group of young people’s street protests in Kathmandu. It seems that at least in the field of “stability”, Nepal still has to humbly learn from China.