Liyushan–Laohuling Dam Site

Liyushan–Laohuling Dam Site

The Liyushan–Laohuling Dam Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Liyushan–Laohuling Dam Site is a Neolithic-period site located in Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, and is part of the Liangzhu Ancient City water management system.

The Liyushan–Laohuling Dam Site mainly involves the high dams at the valley outlets and the low dams on the plains of the Liangzhu Ancient City water management system. Along with the mountain-front embankment, known as the Tangshan Site, the whole hydraulic system spans 11 kilometers from east to west and 5.5 kilometers from north to south. The entire system forms a reservoir covering an area of approximately 13 square kilometers, with a storage capacity exceeding 46 million cubic meters. It is the earliest large-scale water conservancy project site discovered in China to date, and also one of the oldest known dam systems in the world.

The water management system is an important component of the Liangzhu Ancient City site and also serves as its geographical boundary. It is closely linked to the production and life of the Liangzhu Ancient City, providing essential security and support for the city’s safety and development. It played a significant role in flood control, water storage, water transport, and irrigation. The system demonstrates strong scientific principles in aspects such as dam site selection, foundation treatment, material selection, construction techniques, and structural design, making it an outstanding example of early human development and utilization of wetlands in East Asia. It bears witness to the relatively advanced hydraulic engineering technology and powerful social organizational capabilities during the Liangzhu period, and has rewritten the history of water management in both China and the world. With the inclusion of the entire Liangzhu Ancient City water engineering site as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, it now holds the highest level of protection for immovable cultural heritage.

In 2019, the Liyushan–Laohuling Dam Site was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Penggong Village: Located at the border between western Hangzhou and the Anhui–Zhejiang junction, Penggong lies at the core intersection of Yuhang, Anji, and Deqing — three of China’s top three bamboo-producing counties. National Highway 104, the Xuancheng–Hangzhou Railway, and Provincial Road 04 all run through the area, and it is just 1.5 kilometers away from the planned exits of Hangzhou’s Second Ring Expressway and the Hangchang Expressway. With a bamboo forest area of 62,000 mu, it is known as a “sea of bamboo.” The village also hosts the “nation’s largest specialized bamboo products trading market” and the “Hangzhou 10,000-mu organic bamboo shoot base.” The total area of the village is 25 square kilometers, comprising 27 villager groups, 1,129 farming households, and a population of 4,162. It was formed from the former villages of Xieche, Dashan, and Banshi... More details about Penggong Village ++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units