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 that 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 Dujiangyan Irrigation System: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.