Dayuzhang sluice gates relect nation's water conservancy

(chinadaily.com.cn)| Updated : 2023-04-18

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Located in Qiaozhuang town, Boxing county, Binzhou, Shandong province, the Dayuzhang Yellow River water diversion sluice gate has witnessed the vicissitudes of the region for over 60 years.

As a cultural heritage site in the local irrigation area, it is the head gate among the three waterlocks of the Dayuzhang Irrigation Project, the Yellow River-Qingdao Water Diversion Project, and the Jiaodong Water Diversion Project. Collectively, it has formed the "Gates Museum" reflecting the history of China's water conservancy.

In the 1950s, the nation built the Dayuzhang Irrigation Project to make full use of the resources along the Yellow River and saline-alkali wastelands, as well as to solve the problems of agricultural irrigation. It was the earliest and largest Yellow River irrigation project in Shandong. The Dayuzhang sluice gate was constructed in 1956 and renovated twice in 1981 and 2017.

At present, a scenic park of forest belts is gradually taking shape centering on the Dayuzhang sluice gate with lush flowers and trees, pavilions, as well as century-old weeping willows.

It is home to more than 100 species of plants, as well as 40 kinds of birds in 17 families, such as rhododendrons, woodpeckers, gray magpies, turtledoves, barn swallows, and owls.

Combining the untouched natural environment of wetlands, forests, and wilderness with the manmade water gates and irrigation projects along the Yellow River, the park has become a popular tourist attraction integrating sightseeing, fishing, picking, and gardening.

People in the nearby irrigation areas also use the water from the Yellow River to develop freshwater aquaculture and ecological agriculture. The region has built breeding bases for South American freshwater white prawns and tilapia, as well as plantations for organic fruit.