Another weir was built between the mouth of the "fish" and the "bottle". During floods, the muddy water would flow over the low weir, bringing sand and rock into the main river, thus reducing sediment that could block the bottle mouth easily.
In the late 13th century, Italian traveler Marco Polo visited Dujiangyan. He said, "Water in the drainage area of Dujiang is rather turbulent and bountiful in fish.
"There are many boats coming and going, carrying cargo and passengers."
Some six centuries later, German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen also visited the area during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). He praised it as an irrigation project unparalleled in the world. He was the first Westerner to introduce Dujiangyan to the rest of the world.
In its 2,000-year history, Dujiangyan has withstood many natural disasters. On Aug 25, 1933, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale shook Diexi of Maoxian county, which was also seriously affected by Monday's quake.
Minjiang and its tributaries were blocked by landslides for 45 days. On Oct 10, floods broke through the blockage and rushed into Dujiangyan city, causing some 5,000 deaths. Several parts of the ancient water conservancy project were destroyed. Miraculously, though, the main parts remained functional.
Editor: Hu Zhicheng, Wang Nan
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