Dujiangyan water release Festival

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Dujiangyan water release Festival

Applicant: Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province

Item No.: 478

Project No.: Ⅹ - 30

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Sichuan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province

Protection unit: Dujiangyan Cultural Center

Introduction to Dujiangyan water release Festival

Applicant: Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province

Qingming water release Festival is a folk custom in Dujiangyan City, where the world cultural heritage Dujiangyan water conservancy project is located. On the Qingming Day of the 24th solar term of the lunar calendar, a grand ceremony is held to celebrate the completion of the annual repair of the Dujiangyan water conservancy project and the arrival of the busy spring farming season.

Dujiangyan City is located at the northwest edge of Chengdu Plain in the middle of Sichuan Province. It is located at the exit of Minjiang River at the junction of the upper and middle reaches of Minjiang River. In 256 BC, Li Bing controlled Minjiang River and built Dujiangyan water conservancy project, which completely eradicated the flood of Minjiang River and made Chengdu plain a "land of abundance" where "water and drought follow people". In order to commemorate Li Bing, people hold a series of related activities every year, including official sacrifice and mass sacrifice. In the official sacrifice activities, the chief sacrificial officer read out the sacrificial inscription, offered silk, nobility and flowers, and then paid a visit to the Erwang temple. The main sacrificial activities of the masses are to pay a visit to the Erwang temple and pray for good weather, abundant grain and prosperous livestock. The most important activity of the festival is to cut off the bamboo rope at the Yuzui water diversion project of Dujiangyan canal head, and the water from the outer river flows into the inner river after the annual repair.

Qingming water release Festival reproduces the long historical development process and folk culture of Chengdu Plain farming culture, embodies the excellent quality of the Chinese nation's respect for the sages and morality, and has the practical significance of carrying forward the traditional culture.