Qianjin Weir

Qianjin Weir

Qianjin Weir is a cultural relic protection unit of Fuzhou City.

Qianjin Weir is located on the main course of the Fu River in Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, standing at the fork where the Fu River diverges from the Gan Port. Originally built in the ninth year of the Xiantong era of the Tang Dynasty (868 AD), it marks a milestone in the development of irrigated agriculture on the Gan-Fu Plain in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

It is a long dam constructed of stone blocks, lying across the water like a giant dragon. Its "dragon body" blocks the water to raise the water level and slow the flow, channeling the waters of the Fu River into the irrigation area. It is a large-scale hydraulic engineering project built with the hard work and wisdom of the people of Fuzhou in ancient times, often referred to as the "Dujiangyan of Fuzhou." It has a history of over 1,200 years.

The Qianjin Weir is 1.1 kilometers long and is the largest existing gravity dry-stone river training structure in China. Its construction ensured irrigation water diversion for the Zhongzhou Embankment, while also playing a significant role in flood control of the Fu River, restoration of Fuzhou’s urban water environment, and waterway transportation. It currently irrigates an area of 22,000 mu.

Yan Zhenqing, during his tenure as Prefect of Fuzhou, authored and inscribed the “Qianjin Weir Stele,” documenting the flood prevention and embankment construction of that time. After the repair of the Qianjin Weir in the sixth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1578 AD), the Ming Dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu composed the praise poem “Ode to the Qianjin Dike,” celebrating the meaningful act undertaken by the imperial court for the people. He also cast a rhinoceros statue and placed it on the river dike to suppress the disturbances of dragons.

The Qianjin Weir ruins seen today were built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. Throughout history, numerous literati have composed poems about the Qianjin Weir, leaving behind many elegant verses. For example, the Qing Dynasty literary figure Li Laitai wrote in his poem “Qianjin Weir”: “The earthen ridges continue the legacy of Huabei, and the plains of Bohai are explored in sequence. Gently, the stream light embraces the city’s edge, and the fertile fields flow with golden radiance. The clouds over the Five Peaks come and go frequently, while the autumn sounds of myriad valleys vary in depth. Are the leaves and peach blossoms unharmed? Even the spiritual mountain’s winds and rains echo like tidal sounds.” Bada Shanren also composed a seven-character ancient-style poem titled “Qianjin Weir” (see the 1678 edition of Hu Yitang’s *Dream River Pavilion Poetry Collection*).

On September 4, 2019, the Qianjin Weir in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Irrigation Structures list.

Further Reading:

· World Heritage Irrigation Structures