DUJIANGYAN, WANG JIAN'S TOMB AND XIANGS OF CHANGDU

IN THE LAND OF HEAVEN ON EARTH WITH A LAP TOP

by TAN WEE CHENG, Singapore

Diary : 2 November 1996

Side Trip to Dujiangyan City

Our work was completed the night before, and our hosts brought out on yet another weekend trip, this time to Dujiangyan City, a satellite city-county under Chengdu’s administration. We visited the Taoist holy mountain of Qingchengshan and the great irrigation project of Dujiangyan on that day.

Qingchengshan

A group of mountains 65km west of Chengdu. This is described as one of the holy mountains of Taoism. Numerous Taoist temples can be found on this mountain. An interesting place to visit but nothing compared to the spectacular scenery of Mt Emei in the south. Not a recommended destination for one who has little time to spare.

Dujiangyan

Foreigners find it difficult to understand why a visit to an irrigation project is included in any itinerary to Sichuan. One has to learn about the history of this region to understand the significance of this project to Chengdu. When Han settlers first arrived 2200 years ago, this was a flat plain plagued by frequent summer floods (and winter draughts) caused by the Minjiang, a Changjiang tributary that flows through the Chengdu / Chuan Xi Plains. Governor Li Bing began a project to divert the river at Dujiangyan area near the point where the Minjiang enters the plains from the Tibetan Highlands. A canal channels the river into numerous smaller channels and streams in the plains, and thus turned the Chengdu Plains into one of the most fertile in China. Hence the term “Heaven on Earth”. Li Bing began the project in 256 BC and was continued by his son. The project has been maintained and expanded ever since, and is perhaps one of the world’s oldest irrigation schemes in continuous use today. The Sichuanese are very grateful to Li Bing and his son, and both have been deified ( - of course, with temples built for them, at Dujiangyan and elsewhere) and ceremonies are held every year to commemorate their achievements. I wasn’t enthusiastic in visiting Dujiangyan at first but had become convinced of its importance after hearing numerous references to it from my hosts, who in true Sichuanese spirit, paid tribute to this great project.

Diary : 3 November 1996

Wang Jian’s Tomb & the little “xiangs” of Chengdu

Wang Jian was a general who declared the Kingdom of Former Shu after the fall of Tang Dynasty. The tomb was discovered in 1942 and contains an arched vault under a mound in the city central. The stone coffin in the middle of the vault has interesting carvings of dancing girls and musicians. I paid a visit here before sending my colleague, LCY, off to the Airport. An interesting site but nothing compared to the Ming Tombs in Beijing.

What was more interesting was the neighbourhood around it, with little “xiang”, or alleys, old houses and courtyards. One of these I passed belonged to one of the Qing Dynasty banners. Banners were political-military units of which the Manchu people were organised. In the 18th century, these warriors of North East China defeated the Ming Empire and thus conquered China. The bannermen were then formidable warriors, but as they began to settle in the luxurious cities of China, such as those in Sichuan, and where they build cosy little mansions, they became “soft”. Good life and appreciation of the arts became their chief preoccupation and they soon lost their warrior instincts. By 1911, they were overthrown in a revolution.

Next : Dazu - Magnificent Grotto Art

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