See an Ancient Wonder of China that Transforms a River | National Geographic
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 เม.ย. 2018
- A festival in China celebrates an engineering genius of the ancient world who changed the course of a river-and history.
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On the edge of Chengdu, in China's Sichuan province, a ceremony at a historic site honors a genius whose engineering legacy remains after more than two thousand years. The place’s name, Dujiangyan, meaning "dam on the capital city’s river" is a modest title for an undertaking of incredible scope. The great rivers of China helped the civilization flourish, but also brought devastation during years of severe flooding. In the third century B.C., Li Bing, serving the ruling Qin state, devised this system of weir works-levees, partial dams, and waterways-to regulate the flow of the Min River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze. Upriver from the Chengdu Plain rise the high Longmenshan-Dragon’s Gate Mountains. In springtime, meltwater pours down. By diverting part of the Min at Dujiangyan, Li Bing's system prevented floods and provided consistent irrigation for farming. On the eve of China's Qingming Festival, a day to celebrate ancestors, Dujiangyan hosts the Water Releasing Festival with traditional costumes and events honoring Li Bing, whose historical impact is as clear as the azure water of the Min River.
Read more about the tradition in "For Thousands of Years, This Chinese Town Has Been Opening Its Floodgates"
www.nationalgeographic.com/tr...
See an Ancient Wonder of China that Transforms a River | National Geographic
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Imagine a Civil Engineer like that being famous for 2000 years. They should name an engineering school after him.
people built a temple for him
Shortly after the system was built, the Qin emperor who commissioned the works became the first emperor of China.
It was the warring period and seven kingdoms were constantly at war causing untold calamities and miseries.
After the project was finished, Qin started to attract a lot of refugees and grew strong enough to quash the other states.
Much credits were given to the hydro engineer and the emperor decreed that the river be renamed after the engineer.
He is instrumental in the birth of China as a nation.
There’s actually a school named after him
实际上有一座城市以此为名
@@madsam0320that's incorrect. King Zhao who commissioned the project was the great grandfather of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
Not really on the topic of the video, but China seems like a very beautiful country. All those mountains and forests...it just seems all around very pretty.
i agree so much
The first king of China was a Hydraulic Engineer. The current leader of China was a Chemistry Engineer major. The leader before that was a Hydraulic engineer. The leader before that was an Electrical engineer. The leader before that studied abroad as a mechanical technician in a tractor factory and fought the Japanese in WWII.
YL Storage i think you as a chinese china are very lucky to have engineering instead of army or lawyer as your top leader
Engineer FTW.
@@Alfaspring yet china has no creativity, they just copy and mass produce.
@@artiew8718 They invented fireworks and believe in dragons. What is not to like about them?
I can tell you even though Xi has a chemical engineering degree from the top Chinese univeristy, he knows nothing about chemical engineering.... But he really did not care..
I want to add that Li Bing's design fuctions as a dam but allows fish migrating back to their breeding ground upstream. Something our modern dams could learn from.
modern dam focusing on water reservation. and also electricity. soo it must be a closed dam. not this half closed dam.
Dzulfiqar Bagas Tito electricity can be well generated by this.
Ahmad Tariq yea.. but there will be time that this kind of dam being open up like in this video. and also.. it need times to fill up the dam again.
and it will interupt the electricity supply/production. but yeah.. it's possible.
Felidae I mean they have fish ladders
Turbines require a gravity fall. They don't generate much electricity until you are dropping the water from on high. Is why damns that generate electricity aren't short.
Ahh, I was just a kid when this dam was completed. Good ol' days.
哈哈，老外不懂这个梗
大秦丸啦
Bruh u bulid the great wall
hhhhhhhhhh
You got the timeline wrong.
Master Engineers of ancient times from a great civilization! Beautiful ceremony!!
This festival is called Water Releasing festival, celebrated as part of the Qing Ming festival (which is a traditional national holiday), this ceremony has been celebrated since 978 AD during Song dynasty.
the festival was sanctioned by Emperor Taizong of Northern Song dynasty, official inscribed as a festival in teh 3rd year of Taiping Xingguo era.
What an excellent tradition to remember the great contribution to the people in the areas. Hope this tradition continues to live on, passed generation to generation. Thanks National Geographic for sharing.
Azliana Lyana someone loves to hear themselves talk (or type) I see this same comment by her on every nat geo video now lmao
Consciousness what's wrong with that though? u stalk much?
Are my comments bothering you in some way? Or is this some cheap way for you to promote your turtles by dissing others?
This is a show, not a real ceremony to remember Li Bing, and this is the first show ever. Maybe this show will be repeated next year to attract tourists.
Azliana Lyana All of China’s traditions and culture were banned during the cultural revolution. I doubt that this is a genuine tradition. Most likely it is something the government created recently.
China looks beautiful, want to visit soon.
This is beautiful ancient culture. Thanks for your sharing! !
I was there last year, not for the ceremony, but at that location. Very beautiful.
I visited years ago. It's a beautiful spot to take a stroll while contemplating the genius of humankind.
Edge of Chengdu? May I know where is it exactly? Thanks
Dujiangyan is the name of the " Dam Works " I believe. I think its also the name of the local town. I believe it was right near a very cool Temple up on Mt. Qingcheng. If you go up to the temple wear some good walking shoes, its a bit of a climb.
Love from Indonesia Chinese. Love to my Ancestor birthplace. Thanks for video
Same respect. Me too
I respect China and its people. They are the inventor of tea and gunpowder. - From an Indian.
What I love about China is the way they preserve their culture.
打一开始，听那句“放水”，然后看到整个都江堰和李冰的雕像，就一下子泪目。感恩祖先，爱我中华文化
A great mind that help China becoming a great Country. I am happy that he is still being honored today.
That scenery is stunningly gorgeous. Great drone shots. Nice to see traditions carry on.
Omg what a pretty place, a river surrounded by hanging trees and beautiful architecture
Good thing the emperor back then was educated and smart.
The emperors had little to do with it. It was public officials who ran most of China. China has perhaps the oldest tradition of civil service and bureaucracy. Their education system was centered around the fact that the students were meant to become government workers.
Angry Kittens Well yes. Most of our government officials into the past have to pass national exams in order to get their place in the government.
well.. the current leader of china is smarter than the old emperor. but its smartness is only focus at gaining money. no more harmony again.. they destroys nature for money and that also destroying the human itself.
xAnonymous 98x if only America would adapt the same practice! LOL
Dzulfiqar Bagas Tito
we polluted our land wasnt because of that we like to. we had to feed ourselves by manufacturing. pollution is getting better.
Thanks!
Preserving the tradition and culture. All the best!
Hail! Nepal!!!
Nepal is about 600 miles from this place
stickloaf,
Thanks for the kind information!
Splendid and mystical China...
The Ceremony is so beautiful...
i really wanna attend one :')
Absolutely incredible video ..... such beauty in the ceremony & what it all stands for .... I am bowled over watching this video tbh
As always well done NatGeo
SandMan Jono eh don’t give Nat Geo too much credit, more like they got this segment from China’s government CCTV who have several channels on TH-cam under CGTV and New China TV.
Zeitgeist X I didn’t know that - But non the less it’s stunning & beautiful filming :) thanks anyway
This is a theatrical performance, not a ceremony. It stands for tourism and GDP.
SiewHei Lou
people shouldn't listen to the self hating Chinese from Hong kong named SiewHei Lou, he's sole purpose on youtube is to spread anit-China propaganda.
This festival is called Water Releasing festival, celebrated as part of the Qing Ming festival (which is a traditional national holiday), this ceremony has been celebrated since 978 AD during Song dynasty.
the festival was sanctioned by Emperor Taizong of Northern Song dynasty, official inscribed as a festival in teh 3rd year of Taiping Xingguo era.
people like SiewHei Lou would blatantly lie to just defame China and the beautiful traditional culture of that country.
obsidianstatue thanks for the clarity etc - really interesting & yes a beautiful ancient festival. Best regards :)
I read elsewhere, since there were no heavy earth moving equipment, the people chipped away at boulders by burning them in portions, then cooling to enable thermal cracks, and chipped at them.
With this im just loving chinese peeps more and more... love from india
Chinese are good in Engineering from the past
If anyone watching the video would like to learn more, read/listen to The Water Kingdom by Philip Ball. Listened to it last year, and he talks about Li Bing in depth and a lot more.
I love China😄😄😄😄
Chinese have always been masters of engineering!!!
I loved the China ancient
Love clean rivers! 😍😍😍
Water works are so important for people to learn.
lived there for 5 years some of my bestest memories of China are from Dujiangyan.
想不到在中国，还有这有纯正传统的仪式啊，赞一个！
清明節到處都是 祭祀黃帝的儀式，孔子生日也有很多祭祀活動。衹不過一些人由於政治立場和意識形態，天天把中國描述成沒有傳統文化的國度。也沒什麽的，中國人自己珍惜就行了，又不是做給別人看的。
這是戲劇表演。
比較像為了吸引遊客做的商業表演 真的這麼喜歡純正傳統的話就寫純正傳統的字吧...
calforrai 寫繁體字也就是輸入法一個按鈕而已，現在大陸繁體字主要是學毛筆字的寫啦。而且中國千百年來字一直在變，秦朝為了統一全國，統一了文字和度量衡，各諸侯國文字消失了不知道多少，當朝是幾十年前為了消除幾億文盲。象形文字的好處就是天生就看的懂簡繁兩種字，并沒什麼衝突啦。
@@calforrai 来，写几个甲骨文字看看
instead of hating themselves, Western Civilization should have a day to celebrate ancestors, most cultures do.
Memorial Day, Veterans day, Presidents day, Mothers/Fathers day, Thanksgiving..even Christmas and Easter are all celebrations of ancestors.. Dummy
💗💗Very beautiful
Truly excellent! Great video and information!! Keep it up
Thats was unexpectedly intense
It is just great.wonderful.
Drone view will be magnificent there.
I have been there ...and is enormous and beautiful !!!
This deservers a longer, more detailed, narrated video.
Beautiful.
Ayoub Legend Bung gao. Ping chao. That happened. That's how.
Owo love frm india
Love from Nepal/
..another great place!
When the rainy season will come they will enjoy their beautiful nature with the river ....
Indonesia old poetry said for Seeking knowledge up to China... For European, the Greek and Rome is base of civilization, but for our in Asia, China is our base of old civilization... Many popular food in Asia and Indonesia is from China, like Bakso, Bakmie, Bakwan, Capcai, Bakpia, Bakpao, Tofu and much more...
good to know…. Thanks for the info ❤
What does “bak” mean in Indonesian? It seems it appears in a lot of these dishes that originated from Fujian province of China. Thanks
China and and the whole of Africa FASCINATE me
Amazing! Great job!!
Beautiful
That was beautiful and informative
I've beem there before! and i remember being in awe the entire time i was there
China continue to amaze us...
Coolest culture.
Chinese and Japanese history is amazing.
the Japanese indeed created a lot by themselves, but they adapted and learned many things from the chinese civilization.
japanese characters is a copy of chinese characters
Traditional Japanese letters are in fact Chinese letters. So is the kimono, origami, tea ceremony, sushi and many more. Even cherry blossom was brought from China to Japan. Just thought you may want to know.
TwennyGee what's Japanese tradition culture? Your country's old book ever mentioned Japanese culture?
U mistake one thing, Japan history is China,
Since a long time ago china is proud of theirown technology that makes them great nation. Im Indonesian inspired by them.
Absolutely beautiful!
Welcome to Sichuan, Chendu city. Hot pot + panda + great views.
Go to Chongqing for the hot pot and the views
Great nation. Love from Pakistan
Beautiful stirring ceremony
It's beautiful. Imagine all the jobs we could create by working more with our hands like this instead of building concrete machines.
Goosebumps with the song and view
I’m Chinese.I was there before.The water is crazy.
inspiring and fascinating. instead of worshiping stone age imaginary deities, it's a brilliant idea to appreciate human ingenuity that saved countless and improved the quality of life for so many.
Green Brain Seaside These people you praise also believed in deities.
Stop having a chip on your shoulder about religion, Lesser Brain Seaside.
Well, in some of Chinese deities, were people with great contribution. To be praised and commemorated, ended up being treated as deities now.
But besides worshiping imaginary god, Chinese people also worship our ancestors, actual people who lived, worked, and died on these very lands, and whose engineering marvels contributed to China. Look at the Grand Canal (longest artificial river in the world) and even the Great Wall of China for example.
gods in chinese culture are not lords of human, but our ancestors that have achieved great matter.
Green Brain Seaside nah we built this around the time of the Romans and still had Taoism and nearby “sacred” mountains like Qing Chen Shan.
I want narration, and not text on the screen.
I felt the same - had to slow down the video to be sure not to miss something. It would have been nice to have had maps and/or schematics as well, to really appreciate the engineering. But for sure it is impressive. :-)
A tradition which is both beautiful and functional - Nice!
Seems like a beautiful place the mountains look like something from a story
wonderful tradition with people working together.
The music for Nat Geo has been incredible lately.
Such a relaxing vedeo
Amazing
What a natur of China beautiful I want live in ther
we need these type of gatherings to remember elders
I’m just glad to see an area so cultural as this one in China...the news only usually shows that one smog filled city....
It wasn't Li Bing's design. It was the design created by scores of engineers. All Li Bing did was give permission to execute the plan.
I love those fancy costumes
The Hanfu you see in this video is from the Qin Dynasty, or the Qin State in the Warring State Period that preceded the Qin Dynasty, which gave the name to China (Qin >> Chin >> China).
Check out “Qin Dynasty Epic” on the life of Qin Shi Huang (First emperor of Qin) who reunified China after the chaotic Warring State Period.
“Virtuous Queen of Han” is on the life of Wei Zifu, the Queen consort of Han Wudi, who opened up the Silk Road to trade with the Romans. Han Dynasty came after the Qin Dynasty.
“Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, one of the Four Chinese Classics, based on the Three Kingdoms Period that came after the Han Dynasty.
“Legend of the Empress of China” based on the life of Wu Zetian, the only empress of China who lived during the Tang Dynasty. Japanese culture is a replica of the Tang Dynasty. Google search for “Japanese missions to imperial China” and “Japanese missions to Tang Dynasty”. Also check out a documentary called “Daming Palace and Tang Dynasty”. Korean culture is mostly from the Ming Dynasty.
“Judge of Song Dynasty” on the life of Song Ci 宋慈，who wrote the world’s first forensic science book called “Washing Away of Wrongs” 洗冤录。
Hanfu from different dynasties look different. Korea was a vassal state during the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty founder granted Korean kings to wear Ming Dynasty Hanfu, which is why Korean hanbok, especially the male hanbok, looks like the Chinese Ming Dynasty Hanfu.
Absolutely brilliant
Could definitely copy some of that in the states. It would also be cool to use canals for flood control and have some more Wuropean vibes too.
It's so beautiful
I love chinese culture 🇨🇳❤️
*Biggest evidence of intelligent people* ✨
China has 5000 years of history, and is among the world's oldest continuous living civilization still alive today, whereas other great ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia, Rome and Egypt have long since faded to history. Even in 4th millennium BCE, Chinese nobility wore luxurious silk clothing, while most of the world still wore loincloths and "bedsheets" called togas.
Too bad China won the civilisation race in the beginning, but lost greatly in the end due to overconfidence.
While China maintained the same superior technology and wealth for thousands of years and decided not to keep up due to pride, other nations able to chase up and take over China within a few centuries. Like Japan took over China within a century with the result of First Sino-Japanese war as a proof. China has won in the starting line, but lost in the finishing line, like story of the race between tortoise and rabbit.
momo lolo but the role would be opposite. China is A 5000 years old turtle while Japan is much younger rabbit than china. Therefore, considering Japan as turtle would be reckless :v
momololo Fortunes shift and flow with the times. And there is no such thing as a finish line. China may lagged behind Japan but has already caught up and even surpassed Japan in certain fields. For example, China's high speed rail network is the world's largest, beating even Japan's Shinkasen railway. Japan's economy is currently in a slump, whereas China is world's 2nd economy today. Who can rightfully say that the finishing line has been reached yet?
神州 Shenzhou calm down bro. The rabid nationalism isn’t gonna impress the westerners.
Nationalism is what holds a country together. Americans also have their own patriotic slogans, like "America First", "Make America Great Again" or "God Bless the United States of America". If I was American, I would probably swell with pride and patriotism upon hearing those slogans.
Wow that's a beautiful place
China's great water conservancy project has been in normal use for more than 2000 years.
Awesome! Also please make a video on Worlds oldest dam Kallanai in TamilNadu, made by Karikala Chola.
I wish my country do the same as this with our own history
Amazing engineering.
Anyone know what the music at the very end of the video is? I've been trying to find it :X
I wish they showed in more detail how this system worked.
I liked this very much but is difficult to read and see what is shown to you so you have to watch it twice.. not friendly at all
Chinese has a long continuity memory of a collective history, that full of circles of rise and fall.
China,korea and india mga halimbawa ng mga bansa na hindi nila kinakalimutan ang kanilang tradition,kahit sa mga movies na ginagawa nila kitangkita. Sa damit,atbp...☺☺
Very cool!
Looks beautiful there
This is, amazing
An engineer being honoured. That's rare
Love it!!!! Inspiring to have a community ceremony for a great river. Though I don't think that is the focus of their respect.
Relationship to water that is marked with honor. That's how I will view it. Knowing it's there; something that is sooooo fundamental.
Here in Edmonton there is no annual ceremony for our river. It is a product or resource only not something we show gratitude and love for. Most are embarrassed to show such honor publically.
Bob Singh You're lucky you live in Canada and not the US.
Noah perhaps so brother.
That is impressive and I want to go see this
My name started with your sweetest country name China. Good vedios from chinmoy Ayush das Great India.
*^ thanks bro ^*
苏雨琪 please send my name in Chinese language. My name is Chinmoy ranjan das .. Ayush. I am waiting for feedback.
I love these people
Same engineering in Kemet. Water connects us all!