The unique climate and geographical environment of Northwest China have given birth to a great irrigation project - qanats. Karez is known as the world's largest and most complex underground water conservancy project, and is known as the three major water conservancy projects in ancient China along with Dujiangyan and Lingqu.
In our Yiwu (Hami, Xinjiang) Xiamaya Township, there is a karez scenic spot. The qanats have stable water volume, good water quality, low evaporation, stable flow, and are not affected by the season and sandstorms, which brings precious and stable water resources to the Yiwu people and solves the main water source problems for agricultural production and drinking water for people and livestock.
In this issue, I will introduce you to the qanats:
There is a shortage of water in the Gobi Desert in the northwest, but the wise working people found that there is snow on the high mountains, and when the ice and snow melt, it will seep into the Gobi. The ancients determined the water source at the place where the snow water flowed, used the natural slope of the mountain, dug a vertical well at intervals, dug a culvert between the bottom of the well, and guided the flow of water, and the outlet of the culvert was connected with the open channel on the ground, so that the groundwater could be brought to the ground, so as to carry out irrigation and domestic water.
The qanats are mainly composed of the following 4 parts:
Nullah: A surface channel of a qanats that is used for irrigation.
Culvert: An underground channel of a qanats that is used to transport water.
Shaft: A hole used for excavation and ventilation when excavating culverts and open channels.
Waterlogging dams: (ponds, small cisterns) used to store excess water.
The karez culvert at Yiwu's Horse Cliff can only be seen when you enter through the hole, and the water of the canal is bubbling and flowing, which makes people feel extremely happy.
There are a large number of such wells and canals in Xinjiang, and the total length of the underground part of the qanats is twice as long as the Great Wall, and it is far more than the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which is called the "underground canal".
In ancient times, it was difficult to dig a canal underground, so how did the wise people of Xinjiang determine the direction of excavation when digging a qanaq?
1.Rely on wooden sticks. The ancients erected triangular brackets on two adjacent shafts, hung ropes in the middle of the wellheads, tied wooden sticks, let the tips of the sticks face each other, and then dug in the direction specified by the two wooden sticks.
2.To identify the position of the oil lamp, hang an oil lamp on the center line of the shaft, and the craftsman has his back to the oil lamp, always digging towards his shadow, so that he can not deviate from the direction.
The structure and principle of the qanats were invented and built by the people of Xinjiang in the long-term historical practice for survival and development, and the wisdom and painstaking efforts of countless craftsmen have been condensed. The qanats have been used for more than 2,000 years and are still playing a role today, giving birth to generations of Xinjiang people, and are regarded as the "spring of life" and "mother river", as well as a symbol of the wisdom and cultural heritage of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
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