Ruins of the Six-Gate Dam

Ruins of the Six-Gate Dam

The Ruins of the Six-Gate Dam is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ruins of the Six-Gate Dam

The Six-Gate Dam, located in the northwest corner of the city, was a river diversion project on the Tuan River during the Han Dynasty in Rang County. It is also the most famous among dozens of projects built by Zhao Xinchen. The existing ruins include the headworks north of Chagulu Village and a section of the channel leading to the north of Han’ao Village.

According to the "Book of Han: Biography of Zhao Xinchen", "Commentary on the Water Classic: Notes on the Tuan River", and "Records of Ponds and Dikes in Dengzhou", in the fifth year of the Jianzhao era of the Western Han Dynasty (34 BC), Zhao Xinchen, the governor of Nanyang, “cut off the Tuan River, erected stone markers, opened three gates, raised the water level, and irrigated fertile fields.” The longest canal started from the sluice headworks and extended eastward as the main channel, passing through Rang County and then turning northeast before heading southeast into Xinye, spanning a total length of two hundred li. Along the main channel, 29 ponds and dikes were constructed, irrigating an area of thirty thousand hectares. In the fifth year of the Yuanshi era (5 AD), the three gates were expanded into six stone gates, hence the name Six-Gate Dike (referred to as Six-Gate Dam in the Commentary on the Water Classic: Notes on the Tuan River), irrigating over fifty thousand hectares of land across Rang, Xinye, and Chaoyang counties. By the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the Six-Gate Dam system fell into disrepair. In the seventh year of the Jianwu era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (32 AD), Du Shi, the governor of Nanyang, restored the Six-Gate Dam and expanded it, increasing the number of ponds and dikes to 31 and the irrigated area to forty thousand hectares. The system was later destroyed again. During the Xianning era of the Western Jin Dynasty (275–279 AD), Du Yu, the Grand General Commanding the South, stationed in Nanyang. In the third year of the Taikang era (282 AD), “he further expanded the system for the benefit of the people (a Six-Gate stele still stands near the Six-Gate site, erected in the fifth year of Taikang by Deng Da, leader of the local troops and Marquis of Anyang Ting).” “He restored the legacy of Zhao Xinchen, diverting water from the Tuan and other rivers to irrigate fields,” repairing the Six-Gate Dam and extending it to Xiangyang, with the number of ponds and dikes increasing to 44. Over the next three hundred years of war during the Jin, Sixteen Kingdoms, and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods, water conservancy systems were neglected. In 445 AD, during the Yuanjia era of the Liu Song Dynasty, Shen Liang, while serving as governor of Dengzhou, attempted to restore ancient water projects, though details are scarce. During the Northern Song Dynasty, in the Zhenzong era, Xie Jiang, prefect of Dengzhou, organized reconstruction at the original site of Zhao Xinchen’s Six-Gate Ponds, diverting the Tuan River to irrigate the Qianlu Pond and control flooding. Part of the Six-Gate Pond irrigation system was restored, irrigating thirty thousand hectares. By the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, it fell into disuse again. In the early Ming Dynasty, during the Hongwu era, Kong Xian, governor of Dengzhou, began some dredging work. During the Zhengde era (1506–1521 AD), the Six-Gate Pond system was restored to 31 ponds and dikes. In 1554 AD, during the Jiajing era, Wang Daosheng, the governor, organized another restoration, expanding it to 38 ponds and 14 dikes. After the Chongzhen era (1628–1644 AD), it again fell into neglect and disrepair.

The Six-Gate Pond system “connected with twenty-nine downstream ponds, which distributed water flow and all fed into the Chaoshui River (Diao River).” The ponds stored water and complemented one another, forming an integrated water conservancy system for drainage, storage, and irrigation. This unique “long vine with clustered melons” style of water management marked a new level of hydraulic engineering achievement in Nanyang Commandery during the Western Han Dynasty.