Ancient irrigation systems earn recognition

Four ancient Chinese irrigation projects have been designated World Heritage Irrigation Structures, raising the number of such Chinese facilities on the WHIS list to 42, the Ministry of Water Resources said.

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, the Chishan Lake irrigation project, the Jianjiangyan irrigation system and the Yongding River ancient canal irrigation project were included in the list on Saturday during the 76th International Executive Council Meeting of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The council is the commission's highest decision-making body.

Also a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, date back more than 1,300 years to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Spread over 3,740 hectares, the site features a complex ecosystem of forests, villages, terraces and waterways that is intricately intertwined with the daily lives of the people, the process of growing crops and the ecology.