“Cut the cofferdams loose, release the water!” Following the command of the chief ceremonial officer, the ma-cha wooden tripod cofferdams were dismantled and water from the Minjiang River came crashing down amid thunderous cheers from the spectators… On April 4, the 2018 China-Dujiangyan Water Releasing Festival, the most decorous and grandiose folk custom and cultural activity on the Western Sichuan Plain, commenced at the site of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System.
The stage of this year’s Water Releasing Ceremony was relocated to the waterway of the Minjiang River, while the landscape of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System functioned as real-world backdrop for the shows. The live-action performances of Paying Homage to Ancient Wisdom, Praying for Blessings and Water Praying Ceremony were showcased in order, and various rituals including paying homage to water, worshipping water and releasing water were all conducted in strict accordance with ancient methods, which served as an immaculate representation of the vivid and robust society of the Western Sichuan Plain more than two thousand years ago. Worth mentioning is that this Water Releasing Festival was supplemented with modern television and film technologies and presentation formats, while smoke signals, war horses and other elements were incorporated to simulate the fiery and majestic scenes on battlefields of the past. Against rain and wind, a hundred-strong choir chanted the Water Releasing Fu poem specially composed by fu poetry master, He Kaisi for the Water Releasing Festival, which demonstrated the persevering spirit of the Chinese people.
As the spectacular music began to play, the chief ceremonial officer clad in Qin Dynasty attire solemnly recited an ode to pay respect to Li Bing (the primary leader behind the Dujiangyan Irrigation System) and his time-honored feat. Rice liquor, tea leaves, smoked pork and other tributes from Dujiangyan locals were brought forth. The massive and magnificent ritual team proceeded in precise order, and koi were released into the water to symbolize the life force in the Minjiang River that has and continues to bestow fortune to the region. Paying homage and praying for blessing illustrated the Dujiangyan people’s qualities in respecting ancient wisdom and showing gratitude to benevolence, as well as the western Sichuan people’s yearning for peace and prosperity in the coming year.
While the crowd was still immersed in the stately atmosphere of tributes and prayers, stunning performance of the Water Praying Ceremony once again captured everyone’s attention. A string of smoke signals suddenly rose from the towering Yulei Mountain, and a corps comprised of soldiers and peasants released the water and opened up the channels to direct water flow. Horns were blasting, flags were flying, drums were beating and horses were galloping as an imposing “hundred thousand troops” rode and marched onto the scene. Thereafter, 18 men carried liquor and grey-haired seniors brought foods to greet and salute the wearied warriors. The hundred-strong choir, with bamboo slips in their hands, braved the rain and wind as they chanted the Water Releasing Fu poem. As soon as the recital was finished, the ceremonial officer declared: “As per the general’s order, cut the cofferdams loose, release the water!” The ma-cha wooden tripod cofferdams were broken down and the river water came rushing in from the gap into the channels while the surrounding audiences erupted into cheers and applauses. That was a restoration of the ancient Water Releasing Ceremony, a brand new attempt of the Water Praying Ceremony performance. It was a reiteration of the historical episode in which Shu prefectural governor Li Bing used smoke signals to request a hundred thousand troops from the Qin emperor to help him slice open the mountain to redirect the river, ushering spectators through a wormhole back in time.
It has been known that this year’s Water Releasing Festival differed from the three-day format of the past. Other than the prayer ceremony and Grand Water Worship performance, the city of Dujiangyan also unveiled a series of other activities including the 2018 China-Dujiangyan Water Ecology Civilization Summit, Dujiangyan (International) Tourism and Food Carnival, Dujiangyan Essential Irrigation Zone Media Alliance Establishment Ceremony and Dujiangyan Qingming Festival Media Fest, among others.
Of these, the 2018 China-Dujiangyan Water Ecology Civilization Summit, which was hosted on April 3, is an academic discussion based in the present and envisioning the future. Authoritative water resources experts from both domestic and foreign academic organizations, higher education institutions and think tanks, as well as representatives from various foreign embassies and consulates in China all gathered under one roof to discuss new considerations, new requirements and new practices related to the concept of harmonious coexistence between human and nature and continuous strengthening of the establishment of water ecology civilization under the backdrop of this new era. More than ten institutions of higher education also jointly announced the “Water Ecology Civilization Summit – Dujiangyan Declaration” to advocate joint preservation of water ecology and emphatic promotion of water culture. The forum featured several water ecology civilization topical keynote speeches delivered by guests including Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Professor Yang Zhifeng, Honorary President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage Professor Gao Zhanyi, world-renowned water resource management and irrigation and drainage expert Professor Schultz, and President of the Chengdu Municipal Social Science Alliance Professor Yang Jirui. In addition, the forum also hosted two ancillary open discussions surrounding the respective themes of “Tianfu culture and water culture” and “international eco-tourism cities and water resources”.
The Dujiangyan (International) Tourism and Food Carnival, which spans nearly a whole month from April 4 to May 1, is a gastronomic celebration involving cuisines from around the world, ranging from Brazilian churrasco and French steaks to crispy durian cakes from Thailand and creative snacks sourced locally from western Sichuan, which will be complemented by beer competition opened to the public for participation.
The grand opening of this Water Releasing Festival once again presents the beauty in the landscape and beauty in the humanity of Dujiangyan, a city of mountains and waters, to the people of all corners of the world. As every edition of the Water Releasing Festival consistently expands, the festivity has already become a key impression and benchmark in cultural activity brand of Dujiangyan and even of the entire western Sichuan irrigation zone. The Water Releasing Festival also represents continual growth and new vitality in the preservation and inheritance of Dujiangyan’s intangible cultural heritage.
In recent years, the city of Dujiangyan has focused on inheriting the historical and cultural legacy of Tianfu agricultural and farming civilization, emphasized the “ecology as foundation, culture as spirit” development concept, harnessed the value of “giant panda, mountain, water, Taoism, forest courtyard residence” and other unique cultural resources within the irrigation zone, further incorporated innovation into cultural service contents, ensured the growth of cultural endeavors, added new elements to the public cultural facility network such as the Irrigation Zone Agricultural and Farming Culture Exhibition Hall, and set up the “15 minutes public cultural service circle” configuration. In addition, undertakings have been dedicated to strengthening the preservation and utilization of culture, inheriting and promoting Tianfu culture, and accelerating the commencement of applications such as the Dujiangyan essential irrigation zone as a world irrigation engineering heritage, Dujiangyan Qingming Festival Water Releasing Festival as a world heritage and “martial arts of Mount Qingcheng” as a state-level intangible cultural heritage. Furthermore, steps have been taken to capitalize on advantageous cultural resources, form distinctive cultural industries, deeply explore rural village tourism culture and unique culinary culture, and package and advertise “rural village gifts” and other rural village tourism serial merchandises.
In the future, the city of Dujiangyan will continue to stress on “construction of modern public cultural service system,” “protection of cultural heritage and promotion of Tianfu culture” and “cultivation and augmentation of cultural creativity industry” as the three main pillars in its establishment of the essential irrigation zone, complete the formation of a batch of internationally influential cultural industry projects and cultural exhibition platforms, display and utilize a group of immovable cultural and historical relics with important historical and cultural value and tourism development potentials, improve public service system, enhance integration of agricultural and mercantile cultural tourism into market mechanism, and fortify the status of Tianfu culture in the heart of the people, so as to position the essential irrigation zone as a national-level agricultural and farming cultural icon and world-class agricultural, farming and irrigation cultural heritage. Efforts will be devoted to actualizing a new cultural landscape characterized by “Minjiang River’s enriching water, verdant forests and luxuriant bamboos, expanses of fertile fields, elegant and graceful Shu qualities” in order to contribute Dujiangyan’s power into Chengdu’s aspiration for restoring the greatness of a “Land of Abundance nurtured by water”.
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