Published on: 2026-10-20
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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On the evening of October 14 Beijing time, at the 77th session of the International Executive Council of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, held in Marseille, France, the list of World Heritage irrigation facilities for 2026 was officially announced. All four sites submitted by China were included in the list. Thus, the total number of Chinese World Heritage irrigation facilities reached 46.
This year, China presented four irrigation facilities for inclusion in the list:
The Guanliqu irrigation canal on the Qinhe River in Henan Province;
Irrigation system of the Taolaikhe River oasis in Gansu Province;
The Huangshaqiu Irrigation Canal in the Guangxin district of Shangrao city, Jiangxi province;
The ancient irrigation system of Lunjiang in the Chantai area of Zhangzhou city, Fujian province.
△Main water intake facility of the Guanlicui Canal
The Guanliqu irrigation canal on the Qinhe River is located in the northwest of Henan Province /Central China/. Its construction began during the Qin dynasty, and its history spans more than 2,200 years. The irrigation system uses a damless water diversion scheme through several headwater intake facilities. It is one of the few large irrigation areas in China where the structure of the main intake facilities for irrigation, dating back to the Ming dynasty, has been preserved intact. The system provides irrigation for 510,000 mu /34,000 hectares/ of fertile farmland in the cities of Jiyuan and Jiaozuo — one of the main grain-producing areas in Henan Province.
△ The Hebei River Channel active until the present time during the Ming and Qing eras /water intake of the Northern Main Canal Taolaihe/
The irrigation system of the Taolaihe River oasis is located in the central part of the Hexi Corridor. Its construction began during the Ming dynasty. The system includes three main complexes: the Dongziqu Canal on the Hongshui River, the main stem canal system of the Taolaihe River, and the canal system of the Linshuihe and Qingshuihe rivers. The total irrigated area is 947,800 mu /approximately 63,190 hectares/. This system is a characteristic example of oasis irrigation agriculture in the arid regions of the Eurasian continent.
The Huangshaqiu irrigation canal is located in the Guangxin district of Shangrao city, Jiangxi province /Eastern China/. Its construction began during the Song dynasty. It represents an outstanding example of the ancient Chinese approach to developing small catchment basins in mountainous areas with minimal environmental impact. The system is based on the principle of distributed cascading utilization of water resources: canals and reservoirs were successively built from lowlands to highlands, from bottom to top. As a result, a gravity-fed irrigation system was formed, supplying water to more than 10,000 mu /about 667 hectares/ of agricultural land and nearly 10,000 mu /about 667 hectares/ of forest land.
△ Water-retaining dam at the head of the Yanfu Canal of the ancient Longjing irrigation system
The ancient irrigation system of Lunjin is located in the Chantai area of Zhangzhou city, Fujian province /Southeast China/. Its construction began during the Song Dynasty, and its history spans over 800 years. It represents a characteristic type of irrigation system for mountain rivers on the southeastern coast of China, combining low water-retaining dams with an extensive network of canals and associated reservoirs. Currently, the system supplies irrigation to 27,700 mu /approximately 1,847 hectares/ of agricultural land.
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