Today I’m taking you to Dujiangyan in Chengdu to feel its unique charm!
Location: Dujiangyan is located on the Minjiang River in the western part of the Chengdu Plain, about a 1-hour drive from downtown Chengdu. It’s a popular destination for "one-day trips" or "two-day trips" around Chengdu.
World Heritage Status:Dujiangyan holds three world heritage titles – World Cultural Heritage, World Natural Heritage (an important part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Habitat), and World Irrigation Engineering Heritage. Having three world heritage designations is extremely rare globally.
Water Conservancy Project:The Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Project was built in 256 BC, presided over by Li Bing and his son, the governor of Shu Prefecture during the Qin Dynasty. It is the oldest, only surviving, and large-scale water conservancy project in the world characterized by damless water diversion. Composed of three main parts – the Yuzui Diversion Dike, Feisha Weir Spillway, and Baopingkou Water Intake – it scientifically solves problems such as automatic water diversion, sediment discharge, and inflow control. It still irrigates the Chengdu Plain to this day.
Panda Paradise:Dujiangyan is officially recognized as the city with the highest per capita number of giant pandas. It is home to Panda Valley, a giant panda rewilding training base where you can observe pandas’ rewilding training up close. There’s also the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas Dujiangyan Base (Panda Park), China’s first specialized institution for giant panda rescue, disease prevention and control research, and science popularization. Additionally, the super-sized "selfie panda" at Yangtianwo Square has gone viral online, attracting many celebrities to check in.
