Water-Releasing Festival kicks off in Dujiangyan, Sichuan
The annual event is a thousand-year-old tradition commemorating Li Bing, governor of the Shu state (ancient name for Sichuan) during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), who initiated the construction of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System in 256 BC.
The irrigation system, one of the world's oldest still-operational water-control projects, protects the Chengdu Plain from floods and droughts, earning it the reputation as a "land of abundance". Today, it irrigates about 770,000 hectares of farmland across eight cities and 41 county-level regions in the province.
In ancient times, workers used bamboo cages filled with stones, along with wooden tripods called "macha" to block the Minjiang River during winter. This allowed them to dredge the river channel and reinforce the dikes. As spring arrived, they would tear down the macha to release water for irrigating farmland in the Chengdu Plain.
A major highlight of the festival, the water-releasing ceremony on the opening day recreated a series of historical scenes, including cofferdam construction using ancient methods, blocking the river, sacrificial rituals, and water release.
Huang Shasha, a first-time visitor to Dujiangyan from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said she felt honored to attend the water-releasing ceremony and experience the culture of Dujiangyan.
"Li Bing's wisdom in water control is truly impressive," she said.
Another highlight is that the Dujiangyan Water-Releasing Festival is jointly celebrated with Thailand's Songkran Festival for the first time this year, according to Dujiangyan city government.
Local officials said the two festivals will be permanently promoted together every year as a cross-cultural event.
This year's festival also features consumption promotion activities alongside cultural and tourism displays and performances.
During the three-day event, visitors can experience intangible cultural heritage skills and purchase characteristic products from eight cities in the Dujiangyan Irrigation System's service area, Kangding in Sichuan, and Thailand.
The Dujiangyan Water-Releasing Festival was listed among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage items in 2006. Local authorities are applying to have the festival added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
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