都江堰英文导游词

片头：In China, Chengdu is always praised as 天府之国, which means 'Land of Abundance'. Over 2,200 years ago, the city was greatly threatened by the frequent floods caused by flooding of the Minjiang River ——a tributary of the Yangtze River. Li Bing, a local official of Sichuan Province at that time, together with his son, decided to construct an irrigation system on the Minjiang River to prevent flooding. After a lengthy study and a lot of hard work by the local people, the great Dujiangyan Irrigation System was completed. Since then, the Chengdu Plain has been free of flooding and the people have been living peacefully and affluently. Now, the project is honored as the 'Treasure of Sichuan', which still plays a crucial role in draining off floodwater, irrigating farms and providing water resources for more than 50 cities in the province.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to express warm welcome on behalf of SiChuan citizens. It’s a great pleasure for me to be your tour guide today and from now on I will show you around Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which is the oldest and only surviving no-dam irrigation system in the world, as well as a wonder in the development of Chinese science.
都江堰：Dujiangyan is the oldest and only surviving no-dam irrigation system in the world; and a wonder in the development of Chinese science. The project consists of three important parts, namely 鱼嘴(Fish Mouth Water-dividing Dam), 飞沙堰(Flying Sand Fence) and 宝瓶口(Bottle Neck Channel) scientifically designed to
automatically control the water flow of the rivers from the mountains to the plains throughout the year.
The Yuzui or Fish Mouth Levee, named for its conical head that is said to resemble the mouth of a fi sh, is the key part of Li Bing’s construction. It is an artificial levee that divides the water into inner and outer streams. The inner stream is deep and narrow, while the outer stream is relatively shallow but wide. This special structure ensures that the inner stream carries approximately 60% of the river’s flow into the irrigation system during dry season. While during flood, this amount decreases to 40% to protect the people from flooding. The outer stream drains away the rest, flushing out much of the silt and sediment.
The Feishayan or Flying Sand Weir has a 200 m-wide opening that connects the inner and outer streams.[17] This ensures against flooding by allowing the natural swirling flow of the water to drain out excess water from the inner to the outer stream. The swirl also drains out silt and sediment that failed to go into the outer stream. A modern reinforced concrete weir has replaced Li Bing’s original weighted bamboo baskets.[18]
The Baopingkou or Bottle-Neck Channel, which Li Bing gouged through the mountain, is the final part of the system. The channel distributes the water to the farmlands to the west, whilst the narrow entrance, that gives it its name, works as a check gate, creating the whirlpool flow that carries away the excess water over Flying Sand Fence, to ensure against flooding.[19]
Anlan Suspension Bridge
Anlan or Couple's Bridge spans the full width of the river connecting the artificial island to both banks and is known as one of the Five Ancient Bridges of China. Li Bing’s original Zhupu Bridge only spanned the inner stream connecting the levee to the foot of Mount Yulei. This was replaced in the Song Dynasty by Pingshi Bridge which burned down during the wars that marked the end of the Ming Dynasty.[20]
In 1803 during the Qing Dynasty a local man named He Xiande and his wife proposed the construction of a replacement, made of wooden plates and bamboo handrails, to span both stream s and this was nicknamed Couple’s Bridge in their honour. This was demolished in 1970's and replaced by a modern bridge.[21]
Now that I’ve briefly introduced Dujiangyan Irrigation System, why not set your foot on this wonderland by yourselves! Hope all of you enjoy the marvelous scenery and the crystallization of human wisdom, have a great time in Dujiangyan Irrigation System!。