In fact, there is another water conservancy project, not many people know it, but it is the third largest water conservancy project. The name of this project is Lingqu.
Lingqu is an artificial canal located in xing an, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Compared with the first two huge projects, the volume of Lingqu is too small, only more than 30 kilometers long. Because of its small scale, no one in the north knows about it except the locals in the south.
Lingqu was built in the time of Qin Shihuang. In the eyes of Qin people, there is the Great Wall in the north and Lingqu in the south. Lingqu is equivalent to the Great Wall of Wan Li. What? What's going on here? It turns out that Lingqu, a small canal more than 30 kilometers long, is actually a military project comparable to the Great Wall of Wan Li. Note that it is a military project, not a water conservancy project in the eyes of future generations.
The Great Wall built by Qin Shihuang blocked the invasion of nomadic people in the north, and the construction of Lingqu made Qin Shihuang's territory nearly twice that of the United States.
After Qin Shihuang recovered China from six countries, its territory did not include Lingnan areas such as Guangzhou and Hainan. If Qin Shihuang wants to capture these areas, there is a problem that can't be solved at all, and that is Lingnan Road, which is more difficult than Shu Road, and can't transport grain and grass materials.
After investigation, an artificial canal can be built between Lijiang River in Guilin and Xiang Xing, and there are ready-made streams connected naturally in some places.
It took Qin people only a few years to build the oldest canal in the world. A large number of military materials were continuously sent to the south through this golden waterway, enabling Qin Shihuang to expand his territory.
The water conservancy function of Lingqu has lasted for more than two thousand years. After the military function of Lingqu gradually disappeared, the folk water conservancy function was fully brought into play. Until the forties and fifties of the 20th century, the shipping function of Lingqu was still brought into full play in the year 2000.
Now, Lingqu, which has completed its military and water conservancy functions, has fully played its tourism role. Lingqu has become one of the national key cultural relics protection units, and entered the China World Cultural Heritage Protection List, attracting a large number of tourists to visit and enjoy.
The starting point of Lingqu is Xing 'an, and the essence of the scenic spot is here.
This pearl in the world's ancient water conservancy buildings has been entrusted with the historical mission of communicating the waterway transportation between Lingnan and the Central Plains since its completion. Now, it is also a good place for people to travel and reminisce about the past.
The essence of Lingqu is a balanced stone dike, flower mouth, north-south canal, balanced flow and steep gate at the head of the canal. The balance of the head of the canal and the function of the nozzle are to distribute the inflow of the south canal and the north canal according to the proportion of Sanqi.
Huazui is a 70-meter-long diversion levee, which can divide the upstream water into two parts, of which 7 parts are distributed to the North Canal and continue to flow into the Xiangjiang River, and 3 parts are injected into the Lijiang River through the South Canal, so there are 7 streams and 3 streams in Hunan.
The scale is also a dam. When the upstream water is small, the nozzle will divide the water. When the upstream water is large, the water will overflow, and a small range of water will continue to flow away from Xiangjiang River, which will not cause the overflow effect of Lingqu.
This design has been fully applied in the design of Dujiangyan.
Lingqu has 36 steep gates, the first of which is called the steepest gate in the world.
Steep gate we now call a ship lock. Its function is to enable ships to sail smoothly in dry season.
The steep gate of Lingqu predates the lock of Panama Canal for thousands of years. As for the shiplocks of Gezhouba and Three Gorges, Lingqu Steep Gate is the ancestor of shiplocks in the world.
Lingqu is an amazing miracle.
Postscript Lingqu is located in Xing 'an, Guilin City, Guangxi Province. There is also a memorial park for the Red Army. The Red Army crossed the Xiangjiang River on the Long March, which is the Xiangjiang River in blood shed, a famous memorial site for the Red Army. Less than 20 kilometers northeast of it is the Xiangjiang River, the main position of the Red Army and the border of the 3354 Movement.
Lingqu, located in Xing 'an, Guilin, Guangxi, was dug by Qin Shihuang 2200 years ago and is one of the oldest canals in the world. This waterway, with a total length of more than 33 kilometers, is as famous as the Great Wall of Wan Li, and it is by no means a hollow name. At that time, Qin Shihuang used the Great Wall of Wan Li to resist the invasion of northern nationalities, and used this spiritual canal to provide military support for the integration of South Vietnam into China, which laid the foundation for the Qin Dynasty to unify the south.
Lingqu is composed of flower mouth, Doumen, Tian Ping and other core parts. Huazui is divided into the water of Xiangjiang River, of which three points are connected with Lijiang River through Lingqu; The steep gate is equivalent to the lock gate; During the flood, excess water will be discharged from Tian Ping to Xiangjiang River. Regardless of the upstream water quantity, the water level after diversion is always stable and balanced, and the whole engineering structure is exquisitely designed. In the Qin dynasty, where there were no surveying and mapping tools, the designers completed this great project with the naked eye.
Before visiting Lingqu Park, you must go to the exhibition room to learn about the history and engineering structure of Lingqu. Then climb the viewing pavilion of Linyuan Building and overlook the whole project. This water conservancy project in Qin Dynasty, which connects Xiangjiang River and Lijiang River, and connects Yangtze River and Pearl River together, has made China's north-south waterway transportation, and the integration of Central Plains and Baiyue culture even surpassed the Great Wall.
Along Lingqu Road to the west, you can also see Sixian Temple, Feilaishi, Fu Bo Bridge and other attractions. Among them, Shi Lu, the imperial counselor of the Qin Dynasty, was enshrined in Sixian Hall. According to historical records, he led a hundred thousand civilian workers and spent five years digging the Lingqu. The hardships can be imagined. In the past 200 years, Lingqu has experienced numerous floods, and it is still as strong as before. Known as the pearl of ancient water conservancy buildings in the world.
The lower reaches of Lingqu pass through Xing 'an County, forming a water street about one kilometer long. The houses on both sides of the river have white walls and tiles, which have the charm of Jiangnan water town. There are several ancient bridges in the street, the oldest of which is Sujiaqiao, which has a history of more than 200 years. How to get there: Take a bus to Xing 'an and get off at Guilin North Bus Station, then get off at Xing 'an Bus Station and Lingqu Park Station.