The Karez System, an irrigation system of
wells connected by underground channels, is considered as one of the
three great ancient projects in China, the other two being the Great
Wall and the Grand Canal. There are in the Turpan area nearly one
thousand Karez totaling five thousand Kilometers in length.
The structure of the Karez basically consists of wells, underground
channels, ground canals and small reservoirs. In spring and summer,
a great amount of melting snow and rainfall flow down from the Bogda
and Karawuquntag mountains north and west of the Turpan Depression
into the valleys and then seep into the Gobi Desert. Taking advantage
of the mountain slopes, the working people ingeniously created the
karez to draw the underground water to irrigate the farmland. The
water in the karez will not evaporate in large quantities even under
the scorching heat and fierce wind, hence ensuring a stable water
flow and gravity irrigation.
As far back as the Han Dynasty, the karez was recorded in Shi Ji
(The Historical Records) and then called “Well Canals.”
Most of the existing kzrez in the Turpan area were built during
the Qing Dynasty and in after years. Nowadays, large stretches of
fertile oasis land are still irrigated by karezs. The Wudaolin karez
and the karez in the Wuxing Township are open to visitors.
|
