都江堰

Why this place

Dujiangyan was built in 256 BCE to control the Min River and irrigate the Chengdu plain, and it still does both — no dams, just a clever division of the river using a fish-mouth levee, a spillway and a channel. It is the oldest working irrigation system in the world and the reason the Chengdu plain is fertile.

What to see

• The Fish Mouth levee, which splits the river into irrigation and flood channels
• The Flying Sand Weir and the Bottle-Neck Channel, the other two elements
• The Anlan suspension bridge across the river
• The Erwang Temple, dedicated to Li Bing and his son, who built it

What to eat

• Sichuan cooking in Dujiangyan town; the local 'lao la' and river fish
• The plain's vegetables and the region's tea

How to plan

Half a day, easily combined with Mount Qingcheng.

Best time

March–May and September–November