YuJin Canal

YuJin Canal

YuJin Canal is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

YuJin Canal

The Man-Made Sky River – YuJin Canal is situated in the western mountainous area of Anyang County. During the 1960s and 1970s, the local people built this wonder without any large-scale machinery, overcoming unimaginable hardships by relying solely on their determination and hard labor on the steep cliffs and the mighty Taihang Mountains. The construction of the YuJin Canal began in 1958 and was completed in 1977. It was named “YuJin Canal” (meaning “Leap Forward Canal”) as it started during the Great Leap Forward period. Designed to divert 15 cubic meters of water per second, the canal irrigates an area of 305,000 mu (approximately 20,300 hectares), making it one of the country’s major irrigation projects and a key cultural heritage site of Henan Province.

The YuJin Canal project commenced in 1958, resumed twice in 1966 and 1968, and after ten years of arduous effort by the entire region, the magnificent canal was finally completed. Water diversion and irrigation began in 1972, and the entire project was completed in 1977. The YuJin Canal water diversion system consists of the main canal, the East Canal, and the South Canal, spanning a total length of 147 kilometers. It includes 572 structures such as bridges, sluices, culverts, and ferries, among which there are 17 large aqueducts. The total amount of work completed was 10.08 million cubic meters, involving 38.18 million workdays and an investment of 58 million yuan. Below is a brief introduction to the main canal, the East Canal, the South Canal, and some major structures:

The main canal has a water diversion capacity of 15 cubic meters per second. It starts from Gucheng Village in Ren Village Town, Linzhou City, crosses into Hebei Province at Huai Feng in She County, passes through Yanhuashui in Linzhou, Shangshiping, Sanliwan, and Yangjiahe villages in Duli Township, Yindu District, and reaches the Lizen Diversion Sluice. The total length is 40 kilometers, with 5.85 million cubic meters of work completed and 16.72 million workdays invested.

The East Canal has a water diversion capacity of 10 cubic meters per second. It diverges from the Lizen Diversion Sluice and runs eastward along the northern ridge, passing through Duli Township, Tongye Town, Jiangcun Township, Lunzhang Township, Anfeng Township, and Honghetun Township in Yindu District, before draining into the Zhangnan Main Canal. The total length is 35 kilometers, with 1.32 million cubic meters of work completed, 6.16 million workdays invested, and an irrigated area of 180,000 mu.

The South Canal has a water diversion capacity of 10 cubic meters per second. Starting from the Lizen Diversion Sluice, it passes through Tongye, Leikou, Xujia Valley, Majia, and Shanying, and drains into the Xiaonanhai Reservoir. The total length is 72 kilometers. The project involved 2.91 million cubic meters of work, 15.3 million workdays, and irrigates 125,000 mu.

The irrigation area includes 252 branch and lateral canals, with a total length of 470 kilometers. There are 1,476 various structures, 378 reservoirs and ponds with a total storage capacity of 46 million cubic meters, and a beneficial storage capacity of 27.63 million cubic meters. There are 1,279 equipped wells, forming a combined irrigation system within the area that integrates diversion, storage, lifting, and irrigation.

The headworks consist of four components: a river-blocking dam, a flood discharge sluice, a scouring sluice, and an inlet sluice, with a water diversion capacity of 20 cubic meters per second. The project was constructed by the Tongye Commune, starting in November 1970 and completed in June 1972. A total of 15,000 cubic meters of work were completed with 103,100 workdays invested. The designer was Yao Weiwen. The structure was damaged and repaired several times, and after the establishment of the Zhanghe River Upper Reaches Bureau, unified management was implemented. From 1997 to 2000, a thorough restoration was carried out.

The Hongqi Aqueduct is the largest structure of the YuJin Canal. It is a two-span reinforced concrete double-curved arch U-shaped aqueduct, with each span measuring 61 meters clear width, a total length of 185 meters, a maximum height of 45.5 meters, and a design flow rate of 15 cubic meters per second. The pier and abutment construction was undertaken by the Xincun Commune, while the upper structure was built by the Wangning Commune. Construction started in 1970 and was completed in September 1972. The total work volume reached 6,064 cubic meters, with 2.36 million workdays invested.

The Dongfanghong Aqueduct is the YuJin Canal structure with the largest single span and greatest architectural height. It is a reinforced concrete double-curved arch U-shaped thin-shell aqueduct with a span of 64 meters, a maximum height of 47 meters, a total length of 118 meters, and a flow rate of 15 cubic meters per second. The construction was carried out by four brigades from Qu’gou Commune: Qu’gou, Dengta, Beiqu’gou, and Nanguxian. The total work completed was 2,715 cubic meters, with 120,000 workdays invested.

The Qunying Aqueduct is one of the three major aqueducts on the main canal and is the largest open-spandrel stone arch aqueduct of the YuJin Canal. It has a total length of 70 meters, a span of 50 meters, a maximum height of 31 meters, and a design flow rate of 15 cubic meters per second. The project was constructed by 15 brigades from Xujia Valley Commune (now divided into Xujia Valley and Leikou townships). Material preparation began in January 1970, masonry work started in May 1971, and the project was completed in August 1971. The total workload amounted to 14,700 cubic meters, with 170,000 workdays invested.

The YuJin Tunnel is the most crucial section of the YuJin Canal. It is 527 meters long with a flow rate of 20 cubic meters per second. The construction was carried out by six villages from Tongye Commune, starting in March 1969 and completed in October of the same year. A total of 15,800 cubic meters of rock were excavated, with 83,300 workdays invested.

The Feiyun Aqueduct is located west of Xidian Village in Leikou Township and is the largest aqueduct on the South Canal. It is a reinforced concrete double-curved arch rectangular aqueduct. Stretching from Wangshiling in the north to Shinao Mountain in the south and crossing the FenHong River, it has a total length of 328 meters, seven spans each with a clear width of 30 meters, a maximum architectural height of 26.3 meters. The double-curved arch consists of three ribs and two waves. The channel is 2.5 meters wide and 2.4 meters high, with a longitudinal slope of 1:1000, and a designed flow rate of 10 cubic meters per second. Construction began in January 1973 and was completed in September 1974, taking a total of one year and nine months. The total work volume was 10,608 cubic meters, with 350,000 workdays invested. The six central piers were built by six brigades from Xujia Valley Township, while the upper structure was constructed by the Wangning Commune.

The YuJin Aqueduct is located on the Wulonggang hill southeast of Xinzhuang in Xinye Town, Tongye County. It is a stone arch aqueduct built with masonry on the East Canal. The aqueduct is 240 meters long, 10 meters high, 2.3 meters wide, and has 25 spans. It has a maximum diversion capacity of 10 cubic meters per second. The entire aqueduct was built by two brigades from Lunzhang Township: Xibai Zhang and Lijiacun. A total of 4,061 cubic meters of work were completed, with 95,000 workdays invested.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Henan Province