Dujiangyan City

Dujiangyan 都江堰 Guan County
—  County-level city  —
都江堰市
Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Location of Dujangyan City (red) in Chengdu City (yellow), Sichuan province, and the PRC
Dujiangyan Location in Sichuan
Coordinates (dm): 30°54′N 103°30′E / 30.9°N 103.5°E / 30.9; 103.5Coordinates: 30°54′N 103°30′E / 30.9°N 103.5°E / 30.9; 103.5
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Sichuan
Prefecture	Chengdu
City seat	Guankou (灌口镇)
Area
- Total	1,208 km2 (466.4 sq mi)
Population
- Total	600,000
- Density	496.7/km2 (1,286.4/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Website	http://www.djy.gov.cn/

Dujiangyan (Chinese: 都江堰; pinyin: Dūjiāngyàn) is a county-level city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province in China. It has an area of 1208 square kilometers and a population of 600,000 in 2003.^[1]

Dujiangyan used to be a county named Guanxian or Guan County (simplified Chinese: 灌县; traditional Chinese: 灌縣; pinyin: Guànxiàn), in Chinese literally "irrigation" (guan) county (xian). The People's Republic of China created a county-level city in 1988, and renamed it in honor of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which is located in the northwestern area of the city, famous for still providing neighboring major city Chengdu with water even though it was built around 250 BC.

History

Around 250 BC during the Warring States Period (475-221BC), Li Bing, a governor of Shu in the Qin state (present Sichuan Province) with his son directed the construction of Dujiangyan. The governor gave up the old way of dam building, which was simply trying to catch the floodwaters. Instead he employed a new method by channeling and dividing the water to harness the Min River. He accomplished this by separating the project into two main parts: the headwork and the irrigation system. The project effectively put flood waters under control. For over two thousand years the whole system has functioned perfectly, serving not only for flood prevention but also as an immense source for irrigation and a means to facilitate shipping and wood drifting. It has contributed greatly to the richness of Chengdu Plain with its reputation as "The Land of Abundance".

On 12 May 2008, the city was the closest to the epicenter of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the city suffered severe damage. Xinjian Primary School, Juyuan Middle School, and Xiang'e Middle School collapsed in the earthquake; Beijie Primary School did not collapse.^[2][3][4]

Climate

Climate data for Dujiangyan (1971−2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	8.2 (46.8)	9.8 (49.6)	14.0 (57.2)	19.9 (67.8)	24.2 (75.6)	26.4 (79.5)	28.3 (82.9)	28.4 (83.1)	23.9 (75.0)	19.1 (66.4)	14.5 (58.1)	9.8 (49.6)	18.88 (65.98)
Average low °C (°F)	2.3 (36.1)	4.0 (39.2)	7.3 (45.1)	11.9 (53.4)	16.5 (61.7)	19.6 (67.3)	21.2 (70.2)	21.2 (70.2)	17.8 (64.0)	13.6 (56.5)	8.8 (47.8)	3.8 (38.8)	12.33 (54.20)
Precipitation mm (inches)	16.4 (0.646)	23.1 (0.909)	41.0 (1.614)	66.2 (2.606)	99.9 (3.933)	136.4 (5.37)	257.6 (10.142)	254.5 (10.02)	178.1 (7.012)	67.1 (2.642)	33.2 (1.307)	11.9 (0.469)	1,185.4 (46.669)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	10.4	13.1	15.3	16.2	17.5	17.2	18.7	17.2	20.3	18.5	12.4	8.6	185.4
Source: Weather China

Administrative divisions

Dujiangyan has 17 towns and 2 townships:

• Towns:
  • Guankou (灌口镇)
  • Xingfu (幸福镇)
  • Puyang (蒲阳镇)
  • Juyuan (聚源镇)
  • Chongyi (崇义镇)
  • Tianma (天马镇)
  • Shiyang (石羊镇)
  • Liujie (柳街镇)
  • Yutang (玉堂镇)
  • Zhongxing (中兴镇)
  • Qingchengshan (青城山镇)
  • Longchi (龙池镇)
  • Xujia (胥家镇)
  • Anlong (安龙镇)
  • Daguan (大观镇)
  • Zipingpu (紫坪铺镇)
  • Cuiyuehu (翠月湖镇)
• Townships:
  • Xiang'e (向峨乡)
  • Hongkou (虹口乡)

Transport

• China National Highway 317

Sister cities

• Ōtake, Hiroshima, Japan

See also

• Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Notes

1. ^ (Chinese) Profile of Dujiangyan City.
2. ^ "Chinese Are Left to Ask Why Schools Crumbled." The New York Times.
3. ^ "Provincial authority outlines school collapse reasons." China.org.
4. ^ "Overwhelmed by death, Sichuan disinfects." Reuters India.

References

• "Dujiangyan." ChinaCulture. 2003. Ministry of Culture. 13 Nov. 2006 <http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_travel/2003-09/24/content_35909.htm>.

External links

• Official website of Dujiangyan Government