Dujiangyan water releasing festival celebrated in China's Sichuan

People attend a ritual during a water releasing festival held in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 3, 2026. The Dujiangyan water releasing festival was celebrated on Friday in Dujiangyan. People prayed for good harvests during the festival, a time-honored custom in western Sichuan Plain with important historical, cultural and folkloric values.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system, characterized by dam-free water diversion, was built in 256 BC and is the oldest, the only remaining grand water conservancy project in the world, which has withstood the tests of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and is still in use today.

It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations in November 2000, and was listed as a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage in August 2018. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

People attend a ritual during a water releasing festival held in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 3, 2026. The Dujiangyan water releasing festival was celebrated on Friday in Dujiangyan. People prayed for good harvests during the festival, a time-honored custom in western Sichuan Plain with important historical, cultural and folkloric values.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system, characterized by dam-free water diversion, was built in 256 BC and is the oldest, the only remaining grand water conservancy project in the world, which has withstood the tests of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and is still in use today.

It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations in November 2000, and was listed as a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage in August 2018. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A drone photo taken on April 3, 2026 shows people taking part in a water releasing festival held in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Dujiangyan water releasing festival was celebrated on Friday in Dujiangyan. People prayed for good harvests during the festival, a time-honored custom in western Sichuan Plain with important historical, cultural and folkloric values.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system, characterized by dam-free water diversion, was built in 256 BC and is the oldest, the only remaining grand water conservancy project in the world, which has withstood the tests of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and is still in use today.

It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations in November 2000, and was listed as a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage in August 2018. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

People attend a ritual during a water releasing festival held in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 3, 2026. The Dujiangyan water releasing festival was celebrated on Friday in Dujiangyan. People prayed for good harvests during the festival, a time-honored custom in western Sichuan Plain with important historical, cultural and folkloric values.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system, characterized by dam-free water diversion, was built in 256 BC and is the oldest, the only remaining grand water conservancy project in the world, which has withstood the tests of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and is still in use today.

It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations in November 2000, and was listed as a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage in August 2018. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A drone photo taken on April 3, 2026 shows people taking part in a water releasing festival held in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Dujiangyan water releasing festival was celebrated on Friday in Dujiangyan. People prayed for good harvests during the festival, a time-honored custom in western Sichuan Plain with important historical, cultural and folkloric values.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system, characterized by dam-free water diversion, was built in 256 BC and is the oldest, the only remaining grand water conservancy project in the world, which has withstood the tests of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and is still in use today.

It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations in November 2000, and was listed as a World Irrigation Engineering Heritage in August 2018. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)