Four Chinese sites added to World Heritage Irrigation Structures list

Four Chinese irrigation projects have been added to the World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS) list, bringing China's total to 46, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

The projects, located in Henan, Gansu, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, were recognized during the 77th International Executive Council Meeting of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) in Marseille, France, on October 14.

Dating back more than 2,200 years, a canal irrigation system in central China's Henan Province uses dam-free water diversion to irrigate about 34,000 hectares of farmland in Jiyuan and Jiaozuo. The irrigated farmland forms a major grain-producing area in the province.

In northwest China's Gansu Province, an oasis irrigation system in the Hexi Corridor, a key artery of the ancient Silk Road, dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It irrigates about 63,200 hectares of land and is a typical example of oasis irrigation in arid regions of Eurasia.

The project in Shangrao City, east China's Jiangxi Province, dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Its gravity-fed irrigation network consists of canals, weirs and ponds.

Another ancient irrigation system in the Changtai District of Zhangzhou City, southeast China's Fujian Province, has a history of more than 800 years. Featuring low dams and a network of weirs, ponds and canals, it irrigates around 1,850 hectares of land.

China has a long history of irrigation engineering. The Dujiangyan irrigation system in southwest China's Sichuan Province, built in 256 BC, remains in use today and was added to the WHIS list in 2018.

Established by the ICID in 2014, WHIS designations help to protect and promote irrigation projects of historical and scientific value.