Chazhanpi

Chazhanpi

Chazhanpi is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Five Dynasties

Address: Taihe County, Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province

Chazhanpi is the earliest water conservancy project in Jiangxi. It was built by cutting through rocks by Zhou Ju, an imperial censor from Jinling during the Southern Tang Dynasty, along with his son. With a history of 1,067 years, it still irrigates over 40,000 mu of farmland in Taihe. Chazhanpi consists of a main dam and a secondary dam. At the base angle of the main dam, numerous red stone slabs are exposed — these are the earliest dam-building materials, having blocked water for a thousand years. These red stone slabs are stacked in four or five layers. The ones submerged in water are 4 meters long, 0.4 meters wide, and about 0.5 meters thick.

According to historical records, Zhou Ju moved to Wansui (now Luoxi Town, Taihe County) in Taihe with his son Zhou Xian and son-in-law Yang Dazhong, the prefect of Jizhou, towards the end of the Tiancheng era (930 AD). He observed the lives of the people and deeply understood the hardships caused by droughts and poor harvests, so he decided to develop water conservancy. In 937 AD, after years of planning, Zhou Ju chose the upper reaches of the Chazhan Village by the Niuhou River, a tributary of the Gan River system’s Heshui River, and used wooden piles, bamboo rafts, earth, and stones to construct a large dam. According to the “Taihe County Annals,” the ancient dam was over a hundred zhang (approx. 333 meters) long, blocking the river horizontally and diverting floodwaters sideways, hence the name Chazhanpi (Sandbar Weir). Another small dam for reducing water flow was built seven li downstream using quarried stones, creating a water storage channel to prevent flooding — named Diaoshi. The ancient dam was designed rationally, situated in areas where the riverbed was hard and the water flow was slow to avoid being washed away. It also featured large and small spillways to allow boats and rafts to pass, ensuring smooth navigation. After the completion of Chazhanpi, Zhou Ju and his son dug 36 irrigation channels, transforming over 9,000 mu of farmland in Heshi Town and Luoxi Town at the time into a land of fish and rice in the Jitai Basin.

Thanks to the comprehensive management system Zhou Ju established during his lifetime for the ancient dam, Chazhanpi has stood for a thousand years, benefiting vast stretches of farmland. It still irrigates over 40,000 mu of fertile land across four towns in Taihe and Ji'an counties today, offering significant reference value for the management of rural water conservancy projects in China. Historical records indicate that a management body was immediately established locally after the dam’s completion, led by a dam chief with rotating leadership among major local stakeholders. Meanwhile, Zhou Ju and his son acquired farmland to generate grain income, ensuring funding for the dam’s daily maintenance. According to locals, Chazhanpi has been repaired, expanded, and improved many times. In 1998, hydroelectric authorities discovered two stone slabs on the ancient dam engraved with the record of the Chazhanpi restoration by the Jiang family in the 13th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1533 AD).

Further Reading:

· World Heritage Irrigation Structure

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units