The China Water Conservancy Museum showcases a magnificent landscape - protecting the water supply, promoting water conservancy, continuing the cultural context, and benefiting people's livelihoods
2024-06-17
Water is the foundation of survival and the source of civilization. Water conservancy is closely related to every person, every country, and every civilization. On the south bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the China Water Conservancy Museum Park is filled with birds, lush trees, and rippling blue water. From a distance, the main building of the museum looks like a crystal pagoda floating on the water. At the top of the tower, the giant dragon button seal of the four spirits of "Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu" is engraved with the "Records of the Grand Historian: The Book of Rivers and Canals". The term "water conservancy" is derived from this, showcasing the long history of Chinese water conservancy culture. Entering a museum is like entering a treasure trove of water conservancy culture, from N ü wa repairing the sky and Da Yu controlling the water, to the Three Gorges Project and the South to North Water Diversion Project, telling the story of the Chinese nation's water and country governance... Humans live by water, and civilization is born with water throughout history. Humans live by water, and civilization is born with water. Upon entering the China Water Conservancy Museum, the first thing that catches your eye is six large copper relief murals, depicting the scene of Yu Yu's flood control, which is heart wrenching. The audience from Hubei, Yu Yuanyuan, stood for a long time. The Book of Xia states: Yu suppressed floods for thirteen years, but did not enter the household. The "Records of the Grand Historian - The Book of Rivers and Canals" is the first general history of water conservancy in China, which briefly describes the development of water conservancy from ancient times to the Qin and Han dynasties, starting from the story of Dayu's water control. "Many ethnic groups in the world have myths or legends about ancient floods, and many say that floods destroyed humanity, with only a very small number of people surviving." Yu Yuanyuan has had a strong interest in Chinese and foreign stories of water management since she was young. She said, "In line with the favorable weather and geography, floods were conquered by our great ancestors, opening a new chapter in Chinese civilization." Wei Xiaoming, Deputy Director of the Exhibition and Exhibition Department of the China Water Conservancy Museum, said, "Whether it is the selfless spirit of 'crossing the door three times without entering', the spirit of struggle not afraid of sacrifice, and the wisdom of 'combining dredging and blocking, focusing on dredging', the water management of the Great Yu is worthy of being passed down by the Chinese nation for generations." Culture is like water, and water veins are also cultural. In fact, the history of water control was even earlier than that of Dayu, and a water control example - the peripheral water conservancy system of Liangzhu Ancient City - had already appeared in the Yangtze River Basin. This is the earliest large-scale water conservancy project known to China and also the world's earliest flood control dam system, with a history of about 5000 years, demonstrating the brilliant history of China's 5000 year civilization. The China Water Conservancy Museum collaborated with the cultural heritage team of Zhejiang University to take samples and produce the dam profile of the Tiger Ridge section of the Liangzhu Site - the "Protection Embankment". Through technological processing, the ancient grass wrapped mud craft has been fully displayed, and visitors are amazed. On the site of Liangzhu Ancient City, Dongtiao Creek passes through the city. The upper reaches of Dongtiaoxi River is adjacent to Tianmu Mountain, which is the center of rainstorm in Zhejiang Province. Due to the high mountains, steep slopes and rapid flow, as well as the insufficient drainage capacity of the downstream rivers, floods are frequent. "The water conservancy system surrounds the ancient city of Liangzhu from the north and west, and is an organic component of the outskirts of Liangzhu. It covers an area of over 100 square kilometers and has played an important role in history in terms of water intake and avoidance of water hazards." Wei Xiaoming introduced that "it also confirms that the ancient city of Liangzhu is a complete capital structure with a palace, royal city, outer walls, and peripheral water conservancy system from the inside out." The Liangzhu people established the lifestyle of Jiangnan. They built the house high and piled up soil mounds to avoid flooding. At the same time, the soil needed for the mounds was excavated to form rivers and ponds, with dense river networks. Rice could be planted around the village. Wang Ningyuan, the leader of the Liangzhu Ancient City and Water Conservancy System Archaeology Project, said, "Liangzhu can be used as a textbook style sample in the study of early Chinese civilization." The Liangzhu Ancient City site has fixed time and verified the history of civilization. The Grand Canal is a precious heritage left to us by our ancestors and a flowing culture. On the wall of the Grand Canal Exhibition Hall of the China Water Conservancy Museum, there is a long scroll titled "Complete Map of the Water Resources and Springs of the Four Provinces Canal", drawn in 1855, which details the cities, rivers, and water gates along the Grand Canal from Hangzhou to Beijing. The canal breaks down spatial barriers, shortens time, and nurtures towns, making great contributions. Chinese people adapt to spatial geography, utilize natural landscapes, constantly seek knowledge, explore and create, and connect water systems such as the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Huai River, and Qiantang River, forming an important transportation channel and economic lifeline in ancient China, promoting the prosperity of agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce in coastal areas. The praise of the Grand Canal in ancient Chinese poetry highlights its value in the history of water conservancy culture, such as "Up to now, thousands of miles have passed by the Tongbo" and "The Communist Party of Yu has not made much contribution". In 2014, the Grand Canal of China was listed as a World Heritage Site. For thousands of years, canals have nurtured cities and people on both sides. Nowadays, with the continuous promotion of the construction of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park, the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal has achieved full water flow connectivity for three consecutive years, and the protection of various cultural and natural heritage along the Grand Canal has basically achieved full coverage. The millennium canal's business card is even more brilliant, and the cultural, ecological, and tourism belts of the Grand Canal are revitalizing. Water transportation is connected to national transportation, and water governance promotes national prosperity. Water transportation is connected to national transportation. In the history of over 5000 years of Chinese civilization, some places have thrived and declined several times. To achieve national prosperity and prosperity, one must be skilled in water management. "After the development of water conservancy, the world can be pacified, external threats can be alleviated, and education can be promoted." said Liu Jizhuang, a geographer in the early Qing Dynasty. After the success of Emperor Yu's flood control, he was supported by the people and established the Xia Dynasty. There are a large number of records in oracle bone inscriptions about water control and praying for rain. In the Spring and Autumn period, Guan Zhong proposed the idea that "those who are good at governing the country must first eliminate their five harms... Among the five harms, water is the greatest." In Chinese history, agricultural civilization was the main focus, and the geographical and climatic conditions were special. The rise, fall, and changes of many dynasties were closely related to water control. In the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project multimedia exhibition area, Shi Haixia, a visitor from Anhui, and her family of four, stopped. The wisdom of water fish mouth, treasure bottle mouth, and flying sand weir has made them applaud repeatedly. Dujiangyan Irrigation Project changed the Chengdu Plain from a "waterlogged place" to a "land of abundance", and Zheng Guoqu made "Guanzhong a fertile land, without bad years, and Qin became rich and powerful, and died with princes". These water conservancy projects laid a solid economic foundation for Qin to unify China. In 214 BC, the Lingqu Canal was excavated, and Emperor Qin Shi Huang quickly unified Lingnan. "I woke up early today and came here admiring my name. I feel it's worth it!" Shi Haixia said. Adapt to the situation and turn water disasters into water conservancy. Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, which was built in 256 BC by Li Bing, the governor of the State of Qin and Shu, is a grand water conservancy project with a long history in the world and no dam for water diversion. According to the "Huayang Guozhi · Shu Zhi", "drought leads to water infiltration, and rain leads to blockage of water gates." Since then, there have been few droughts and floods in western Sichuan, and the Chengdu Plain has become a "fertile field for thousands of miles... Water and drought follow people, without knowing famine, and there is no famine. The world is called Tianfu.". The Yellow River is peaceful, and the world is peaceful. The Yellow River is not only the mother river and life river of the Chinese nation, but also a rebellious and difficult to tame river of troubles. In a sense, the history of the Chinese nation's governance of the Yellow River is also a history of governance. The Western Han Dynasty "River Management Appreciation" pottery jar on the museum display board is a witness to the governance of rivers by the ancestors of the Han Dynasty, which was used to commend those who made contributions to river management at that time. "At the age of more than 20 after the collapse of the Yellow River at Huzi, due to the limited number of people, especially in the areas of Liang and Chu..." The "Records of the Grand Historian" extensively describes Emperor Wu of Han's visit to Huzikou in the southwest of Puyang County, Henan Province to command the closure of the Yellow River breach. The Grand Historian expressed his lament that "water is of great benefit". The Yellow River has been plagued by multiple siltation, breaches, and relocations since ancient times, with two breaches in three years and one diversion in a hundred years. During the more than 2500 years before the founding of New China, the downstream of the Yellow River was breached more than 1500 times and diverted 26 times. During feudal wars and warlord conflicts, it was also artificially caused to breach the Yellow River 12 times. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Yellow River has achieved over 70 years of uninterrupted autumn floods and continuous flow for 24 years. It has withstood 12 major floods and created a miracle in the management of "suspended rivers on the ground". Water governance leads to national prosperity. Emperor Wu of Han wrote "Hu Zi Ge", lamenting the harm of the Yellow River floods; Emperor Taizong of Tang personally reorganized water management institutions and formulated specialized regulations on water conservancy and transportation; For thousands of years, the Chinese people have been praying for the peace of the great river, with the three major events of the Three Festivals, river affairs, and water transportation being considered by the Qing Emperor Shengzu. "During the Republic of China period, pioneers in water conservancy once made plans for the systematic implementation of watershed management, but due to the current situation and national strength, they were unable to implement it. The engineering practice in various watersheds mainly focused on post disaster repair and prevention." Wei Xiaoming introduced that "from 1840 to 1949, there was more than a hundred years of foreign aggression and internal turmoil, national strength declined, water conservancy was in disrepair, water and drought disasters formed a vicious cycle with social unrest." Rivers and seas were clear, the country was peaceful and the people were safe, which was the millennium expectation of the Chinese people. As the tide of history crossed 1949, the sea surface of rivers and lakes underwent a new look. It is a great matter of governing a country, both ancient and modern, both at home and abroad, to emphasize the harmony between humans and water, promote water conservancy, and eliminate water disasters. By learning from history, one can know the rise and fall. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, great attention has been paid to water management. From "we must repair the Huai River" and "we must do a good job in the Yellow River" to "we must root out the Haihe River", from learning from Dazhai to improve land and water management, to carrying forward the spirit of the Hongqi Canal, to digging mountains and repairing canals, from the Three Gorges Project to the South to North Water Diversion Project... The water management industry is flourishing, and water conservancy culture is widely promoted. At the Red Flag Canal themed exhibition site, there is a display of sledgehammers? Simple tools such as heads and pickaxes, as well as amazing data such as "flattening 1250 mountain peaks, digging 211 tunnels, and a total length of 70.6 kilometers" introduced on the exhibition board, left the audience deeply impressed. He Xinyu and his family from Fuyang District, Hangzhou drove for an hour to the museum. As 80s generation, they "have heard a lot about the construction process of water conservancy projects since childhood, and have a deep memory of the Red Flag Canal. At that time, there was no high-tech, so they relied on a single spirit to change the world!" He Xinyu, the mother of two children, said, "Bring the children here on weekends to see and receive education. Today, material life has greatly improved, but the spirit of Yu Gong moving mountains and working hard cannot be changed." Since ancient times, China's basic water situation has always been characterized by summer floods and winter droughts, and a shortage of water resources in the north and south. The distribution of water resources in time and space is extremely uneven. "There is more water in the south and less water in the north. If possible, borrowing some water is also possible." Chairman Mao proposed a grand idea. Developing water conservancy to benefit the people. A kettle full of scale and a clear water sample vividly demonstrate the changes that the South to North Water Diversion Project has brought to the lives of the people along the route. In the past, some places along the way could pickle pickled vegetables with tap water. Nowadays, clear and sweet water from the Yangtze River has replaced the brackish and high fluoride water in some northern regions. Crossing water, mountains, provinces, and cities, water supply, flood control, drainage, navigation, ecology... It emphasizes both human dominance and harmony between humans and water. The South to North Water Diversion Project is undoubtedly the largest, longest, most populous, and most widely beneficial water transfer project in the world. As of March 18th this year, the cumulative water diversion volume of the East and Middle Line Phase I of the South to North Water Diversion Project has exceeded 70 billion cubic meters, benefiting over 176 million people. It has become a lifeline for optimizing water resource allocation, ensuring public drinking water safety, reviving the ecological environment of rivers and lakes, and promoting the smooth economic cycle between the north and south. The danger of rivers and water sources is a threat to the living environment and the survival of the nation. "We must vigorously enhance our awareness of water crisis and water crisis, and attach importance to solving water safety issues from the strategic perspective of achieving sustainable development of the Chinese nation," said Chen Yongming, Director and Party Secretary of the China Water Conservancy Museum. (Lai Xin She)
Edit：He Chuanning Responsible editor：Su Suiyue
Source：People's Daily
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