Sanjiang Sluice

Sanjiang Sluice

Sanjiang Sluice is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Sanjiang Sluice (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Ming Dynasty

Announcement Date: March 11, 1963

Located 300 meters north of Sanjiang Village, Doumen Town. Constructed in the 15th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1536) by Tang Shaoyi, Prefect of Shaoxing. It was built to eliminate waterlogging in the three counties of Shanyin, Kuaiji (now part of Shaoxing County), and Xiaoshan, and to prevent seawater backflow. The sluice is 108 meters long and 9.16 meters wide at the top. The structure utilizes the mountain gorge terrain and is built from massive stones connected with mortise-and-tenon joints. Twenty-seven shuttle piers were added, making a total of 28 openings, all named after celestial constellations, hence the name "Yingxiu Sluice" (Constellation Sluice). Stone beams were laid on top, allowing both opening/closing and passage. Currently, the sluice gates are no longer functional, and it serves only as a bridge. Four Qing Dynasty restoration steles remain nearby. Sanjiang Sluice is one of the more intact ancient hydraulic engineering projects preserved in Zhejiang. Its drainage basin covers an area of 1,520 square kilometers, and for over 400 years, it has played a crucial role in mitigating flood, drought, and tidal disasters in the Xiaoshao Plain.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units