Huizhou Weir Dam
The main Huizhou Weir Dam section in Xixinan Town, Huizhou District, forms a carefully integrated irrigation system of weirs, ponds, channel outlets, water streets, and wells that follows the natural terrain and reflects the historical change and cultural continuity of the Huizhou (Huangshan) region.
A low stone weir spans the river with water tumbling over it in steps, white-walled houses with dark tiles stand on the far bank, green hills rise behind and reeds grow in front.
Infrastructure4
- Baonan Ancient Weir
Core weir of the World Heritage Irrigation Structure, built in 327 CE as the earliest documented stone diversion weir in the Xin'an River basin.
- Xixinan Lei Ancient Weir
Southern Song stone weir on the Fengle River, diverting water into the village to form the living water network of Xixinan.
- Xixinan Lü Ancient Weir
Ancient stone weir built in 527 CE under Xin'an Administrator Lü Wenda, managing irrigation and storage for over a millennium.
- Tiaolong Ancient Weir & Channel
Ming-era 500-year-old stone weir and channel system leading deep into village alleys, exemplary of Huizhou agricultural water conservation.
Gate & Wall1
- Xixinan Ancient Village Water Street
Four-kilometer natural wetland forest and Ming-Qing canal streets along the Fengle River, integrating irrigation hydraulics with Huizhou waterside living.
Civic Building1
- Huizhou Ancient Weirs Heritage Museum
Specialized museum in Xixinan historic buildings, curating Huizhou hydraulic engineering methods, ancient water contracts, and ecological management.
Jin1
- Bao Nan Weir ConstructedEastern Jin, Xianhe 2 (327 CE)
In 327, Bao Nan Weir was built on the Fengle River as one of the earliest documented irrigation works in the system.
Northern and Southern1
- Lü Weir ConstructedLiang, Datong 1 (527 CE)
In 527, Lü Wenda built Lü Weir on the Fengle River, extending the Huizhou hydraulic tradition.
Song1
- Lei Weir OpenedSouthern Song, Xiangxing 1 (1278 CE)
In 1278, Cheng Qian and local participants opened Lei Weir to strengthen Fengle River diversion and irrigation.
Ming1
- Tiaolong Weir ConstructedMing, Zhengde 1 (1506 CE)
The Wu clan of Xixinan initiated Tiaolong Weir in 1506, linking village and farmland through its canal network.
Modern Era2
- Later World Heritage Listings
In 1994 the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains was inscribed on the World Heritage List; the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, the Yungang Grottoes, Quanzhou and others followed, and in 2023 the Jingmai Mountain old tea forest landscape was inscribed.
- Huizhou Weirs Enter the WHIS Register2024
The joint Huizhou Weirs–Wuyuan Weirs project entered the World Heritage Irrigation Structures register in 2024.
Han1
- Pond-and-Channel Irrigation EmergesWestern Han
Communities in the Huizhou basin stored water in ponds and diverted streams, establishing irrigation adapted to mountain valleys.