Red Flag Aqueduct

Red Flag Aqueduct

The Red Flag Aqueduct is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The Red Flag Aqueduct is located in Baihe Town, stretching from Xinlou Village in the west to Xidong Village in the east. It spans National Highway 104, Sanmao Creek, and the “Shangsan” Expressway, situated in the central section of the North Trunk Canal (29+850 — 30+647.5), serving as a key link between the irrigation areas on both sides of Sanmao Creek. Featuring a variable-section catenary stone-arch structure, the aqueduct has a total length of 797.5 meters and consists of 11 large arches and 79 small arch spans. Each large arch has a designed span of 56.05 meters, a calculated rise of 17.32 meters, and a rise-to-span ratio of 1:3, with a maximum height of 28 meters. The trough is 5 meters wide and 3 meters high, with a trapezoidal water passage cross-section that allows a maximum flow rate of 10.5 cubic meters per second. There is a 1-meter-wide pedestrian walkway and railing along each side of the trough, extending its full length. At the western end, there is a gatehouse housing a control gate and a spillway, which regulate the flow through the aqueduct and discharge excess water from the upstream canal.

On August 15, 1977, the Red Flag Aqueduct Project Command was established, and construction began on September 15. From the start until mid-November 1978, 750 laborers from 198 production brigades across 12 communes completed two phases of construction and participated in three mass mobilization campaigns.

At the time, the Red Flag Aqueduct was the longest multi-span stone-arch aqueduct in China. The large arch ribs and trough were constructed using locally sourced bluish-green strip stones from Tiantai and light-red rocks from Dadinlin. The middle three spans feature the four large characters “Tian Shui Fei Du” (“Flying across the Heavenly Waters”), formed from a collection of inscriptions by Guo Moruo, inlaid on both sides of the trough, creating a spectacular sight. This has been recorded in the "Encyclopedia of China · Water Conservancy Volume." In 2011, it was listed as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Baihe Town: Baihe Town is located in the northwest of the county, bordering Shiliang in the east, the urban area in the south, and Xinchang County in the north. By the end of 2003, the town had a total population of 63,546 and currently administers 63 administrative villages.

According to inscriptions, during the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a temple in Xiashi, east of the town, housing a statue of the White Crane Emperor, hence the name “Baihe Hall.” The town took its name from the hall and served as an ancient north-south thoroughfare and the northern gateway to Taizhou City. National Highway 104 and the Shangsan Expressway run through the area. About 7 kilometers from Baihe Town lies the Tongkengxi Hydropower Station, with a reservoir capacity of 2.42 million cubic meters and a total installed capacity of 3,500 kilowatts, providing drinking water, irrigation, power generation... More information about Baihe Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units