Xiaojiao River Sluice Cluster

Xiaojiao River Sluice Cluster

Xiaojiao River Sluice Cluster is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Donggang Sluice: Donggang Sluice is located on the north side of Donggangshi Natural Village, Donggangqi Village, Xiaogang Subdistrict, Beilun District, Ningbo City. It spans the Xiaojiao River in a northwest-southeast direction, covering an area of 82 square meters. The sluice is 28 meters long with 13 bays, each bay spaced 2.1 meters apart and 2.8 meters wide. It features three stone pillars arranged in parallel as piers, with a water-dividing shape on the southwest side, slab stones as beams, and a gate installed in each bay with double stone doors. Wing walls are built on the upstream sides. According to the "Brief Excerpts from the Ningbo Prefecture Notices," it states: “Donggang Sluice... blocks the river flow horizontally, retaining fresh water inside and blocking the salt tide outside. The farmlands of Yin, Ding, and Feng counties all rely on it for irrigation, making it highly beneficial.” According to the Republican-era "Zhenhai County Annals," the old Donggang Sluice was built in the 35th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1556), with five bays irrigating over 13,000 mu of farmland. During the Wanli era, a new Donggang Sluice with eight bays was constructed 100 paces west of the old one. In the 31st year of the Wanli reign (1603), the new sluice was expanded to 13 bays. The existing Donggang Sluice was rebuilt in the 2nd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1663). In March of the 13th year of the Jiaqing reign (1808), after the construction of Yanshan Sluice downstream, Donggang Sluice became a traffic bridge, yet still retains characteristics of a sluice bridge.

The construction date of Donggang Sluice is definite, its structure is solid, and it is well-preserved. It was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection site in 1993.

Yanshan Sluice: Also known as Yanshan Sluice, it is located in Qiantouyang Natural Village, Changshan Village, Xiaogang Subdistrict, Beilun District, Ningbo City. It spans the Xiaojiao River in a northwest-southeast direction, covering an area of 67 square meters. The sluice is 26 meters long with 13 bays, each bay spaced 2 meters apart and 2.6 meters wide. The foundation was hewn from the mountain rock, imitating the style of Donggang Sluice, with three stone pillars arranged in parallel as piers, slab stones as beams, and a gate installed in each bay. The upstream side has a water-dividing shape, with a small weir nearby, and over 10 zhang (approx. 33 meters) of Jiaoshuitang (sluice pond) built to the north to stabilize the sluice structure. From Donggang Sluice to Yanshan Sluice, over 10 li of the river channel became an inland waterway, transforming the saline-alkali land on both banks into fertile soil. According to the Republican-era "Zhenhai County Annals," construction began in July of the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1807) and was completed in March of the following year. In the 22nd year of the Jiaqing reign (1817), after the construction of Yicheng Sluice downstream, Yanshan Sluice became a traffic bridge. In 2004, a new layer of reinforced concrete was added to the bridge deck, the damaged slab stone railing on the northwest side was repaired with steel-concrete structure, and a steel-concrete bridge railing was added on the northeast side.

The construction date of Yanshan Sluice is definite, its structure is solid, and it is well-preserved. It was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection site in 1993.

Yicheng Sluice: Yicheng Sluice is located at the eastern foot of Longtou Mountain, Weidou Community, Qijia Mountain Subdistrict, Beilun District, Ningbo City. It spans the Xiaojiao River in a northwest-southeast direction, covering an area of 180 square meters. The sluice is 32 meters long, 5.3 meters wide, with 15 bays spaced 1.4–1.9 meters apart. It is built on a rock foundation, with stone pillars arranged in parallel as piers, and stone embankments on both upstream banks. An inscription on the bridge pillars reads: “Water flows through three counties, the Wuxiang Sluice, Donggang Sluice, and Yanshan Sluice — here alone it blocks the raging waves; Ten thousand stoves rejoice in farming, the Lingyan, Taiqiu, and Qingquan districts — alas, they do not share in this bounty.” According to the Republican-era "Zhenhai County Annals," construction began in the 20th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1815) and was completed in the 22nd year (1817). From initiation to completion, it was driven entirely by a sense of public good, hence its name. It was widened in 1937 and 1962. After the completion of Jiaoshui Sluice in 1968, it remained as a secondary defense. In 1979, it was converted into a traffic bridge.

Yicheng Sluice is the most historically significant and longest-used ancient hydraulic structure on the Xiaojiao River. It was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection site in 1993.

Jiaoshui Sluice: Jiaoshui Sluice is situated at the northern side of Weidou Community, Qijia Mountain Subdistrict, Beilun District, Ningbo City, at the mouth of the Xiaojiao River. Just 60 meters downstream is the main navigation channel of the Yong River estuary. The sluice utilizes the favorable terrain of the northeastern slope of Lishan Mountain to excavate the sluice foundation, allowing the sluice structure to stand firmly on bedrock. It spans the Xiaojiao River in a northeast-southwest direction, covering an area of 2,100 square meters, with 10 gates, each with a clear width of 2.5 meters. The piers are built with block stones and cement mortar, with semi-circular steel-concrete arch rings atop the pier tops. The upper part of the sluice gates houses 10 screw-operated mechanical hoisting machine rooms, with work bridges built on both the north and south sides. The bottom elevation of the sluice is 0.29 meters, with a flood discharge capacity of 143 cubic meters per second. It currently continues to serve the drainage needs of 350,000 mu of farmland in the Xiaojiao River system of southeastern Yin. According to the "Zhenhai County Annals," preparation for construction began in November 1966, and it was completed in August 1968.

Jiaoshui Sluice features a regular layout and is generally well-preserved, representing a typical 1960s sluice structure in Beilun District.

In February 2011, the Xiaojiao River Sluice Cluster was officially designated and announced as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units