We had actually initially intended to visit Mount Qingcheng. This is the mountain that inspired the home of the pandas in the Kung Fu Panda 3 movie. However, the tour operator I had been speaking to advised that it wouldn't be a good day to do that (weekend) because the line for the cable car would be very long. So, we took her advice to visit Dujiangyan Dam instead. We didn't go in with high expectations, but ended up really enjoying the visit. It was quite beautiful and interesting to see.
These pictures are all taken on our way into the dam area.
Ethan and I did the walk up to that pagoda on the hill in the background. It doesn't look like a difficult walk, but it was in the heat.
Ethan recovering from our hike up the hill.
This dam (originally was a system of levees) was constructed in 256BC and is still in use today. Previously the area kept flooding. The construction occurred before gun powder was invented. There were 10,000 labourers and they used a combination of fire and water to heat and cool the rocks until they cracked. After the system was finished, no more floods occurred in the area and the extra water was directed onto the previously dry Chengdu plain. It ended up making Sichuan one of the most agriculturally-productive areas in China.
Comments