Baishaxi Thirty-Six Weirs

Baishaxi Thirty-Six Weirs

(Photograph: China National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage)

The Baishaxi Thirty-Six Weirs are a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Baisha Weir refers to the Baishaxi Thirty-Six Weirs located on the Baishaxi River in Jinhua City. This ancient hydraulic engineering project was first constructed during the Jianwu era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (27 AD), covering the entire watershed of the Baishaxi River and benefiting 278,000 mu of farmland. To this day, 19 of the weirs are still in operation.

The Baishaxi Thirty-Six Weirs are the oldest existing weir-based water diversion and irrigation system in Zhejiang. The first Baisha Weir was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and over the course of a hundred years, 36 weirs were constructed across a span of 45 kilometers with a total drop of 168 meters in elevation. Currently, 21 of these ancient weirs continue to function in diverting water for irrigation, serving 278,000 mu of farmland.

In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Lu Wentai, a Supporting State General, resigned from his official post and retired to Fucang in the southern part of Wuyi (present-day Tingjiu Village, Shafan Township, Wucheng District, Jinhua). Facing the rapid currents of the Baishaxi River—which caused droughts in dry weather and floods in rainy weather, leading to consecutive years of disaster and suffering for the local people—he followed the spirit of Yu the Great’s flood control efforts and drew inspiration from the construction of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System by Li Bing and his son, officials of the Qin Dynasty. Leading his subordinates and mobilizing local residents, he utilized the river’s natural drop in elevation to build 36 weirs, starting from Fucang and extending to the ancient city. This became one of the rarest and earliest hydraulic engineering projects in Zhejiang, transforming the once flood- and drought-prone regions of two prefectures, three counties, and eight districts along the Baishaxi River—encompassing vast areas of farmland—into self-irrigating, all-weather granaries.

Baisha Weir is a Zhejiang Provincial-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

On January 20, 2020, the China National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage announced the 2020 shortlist of candidate sites for World Heritage Irrigation Structures. Four sites were included: the Tianbao Slope Irrigation Project in Fujian, the Longshou Canal and Luogu Ancient Irrigation Area in Shaanxi, the Baishaxi Thirty-Six Weirs in Jinhua, and the Sangyuanwei Embankment in Foshan, Guangdong.

Langya Town: Located in the southwestern part of Wucheng District, Langya Town is 18 kilometers from Jinhua City. The town covers an area of 98 square kilometers, 80% of which consists of mountainous and forested land, making it a transitional zone between mountainous and plains regions. The town has 31 administrative villages and a population of 18,000. In 2005, the total industrial and agricultural output value of the town was 577 million yuan, with an average per capita rural income of 4,056 yuan. The area features beautiful mountains and clear waters, along with simple and honest folk customs, offering refreshing landscapes that have inspired many talented individuals. It is home to the renowned Jinlan Reservoir, which holds 68 million cubic meters of water. The Shajinwan Water Plant is currently the sole water supply facility for downtown Jinhua. There is also a national key cultural… More information about Langya Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· World Heritage Irrigation Structures