Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelations

Xi'an has a special historical position in ancient China, and it has made great achievements in water conservancy projects in all dynasties. The water network skeleton formed mainly by the ‘Eight Waters’ in the territory, along with the historical changes of Xi'an, has experienced the Lant...

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Main Authors: Wei Zhou, Junrui Chai, Zengguang Xu, Yixuan Wang, Kewu Wei, Yungang Dang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IWA Publishing 2021-08-01
Series:Water Supply
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/21/5/2173
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author Wei Zhou
Junrui Chai
Zengguang Xu
Yixuan Wang
Kewu Wei
Yungang Dang
author_facet Wei Zhou
Junrui Chai
Zengguang Xu
Yixuan Wang
Kewu Wei
Yungang Dang
author_sort Wei Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Xi'an has a special historical position in ancient China, and it has made great achievements in water conservancy projects in all dynasties. The water network skeleton formed mainly by the ‘Eight Waters’ in the territory, along with the historical changes of Xi'an, has experienced the Lantian ape-man ‘living by the water’, the Western Zhou Fenghao ‘two capitals along the Fenghe River’, and the Qin Xianyang city ‘capital passed by Weihe river’. Developments and changes such as the ‘diversion of water to develop the capital’ in Chang'an in the Western Han Dynasty, the ‘capital be ringed by eight rivers’ in Chang'an in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, ‘reduced water’ from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, and the ‘coordinated supply’ after the founding of the People's Republic of China. After sorting out the system, it is believed that the ‘Eight Waters’ in the territory are the original driving force for the flourishing Chang'an in history. From ancient times to the present, with the development of industry, there has been a trend that human settlements and rivers are farther away. Urban water supply has shifted from groundwater sources to surface water sources. This article investigates the evolution of water conservancy projects in Xi'an from the Paleolithic Age to the present, and studies the relationship between human production and life and water resources. The changing law and development trend of the water supply structure in Xi'an urban area in modern times are analyzed. We have summarized the enlightenment left to us by the practice of water conservancy projects for thousands of years. This paper provides references for the development and planning of water resources in similar cities. HIGHLIGHTS Water supply methods and water conservancy facilities over thousands of years are summarized.; The variation of water supply in Xi'an urban area in recent decades is investigated.; The development trend of Xi'an's water supply in the future is analyzed.;
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spelling doaj.art-fe1d26bcf60440d7af3784495174fdd72022-12-21T19:31:07ZengIWA PublishingWater Supply1606-97491607-07982021-08-012152173219010.2166/ws.2021.043043Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelationsWei Zhou0Junrui Chai1Zengguang Xu2Yixuan Wang3Kewu Wei4Yungang Dang5 State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China Shanxi Province Institute of Water Resources and Electric Power Investigation and Design, Xi'an 710001, China Shanxi Province Institute of Water Resources and Electric Power Investigation and Design, Xi'an 710001, China Xi'an has a special historical position in ancient China, and it has made great achievements in water conservancy projects in all dynasties. The water network skeleton formed mainly by the ‘Eight Waters’ in the territory, along with the historical changes of Xi'an, has experienced the Lantian ape-man ‘living by the water’, the Western Zhou Fenghao ‘two capitals along the Fenghe River’, and the Qin Xianyang city ‘capital passed by Weihe river’. Developments and changes such as the ‘diversion of water to develop the capital’ in Chang'an in the Western Han Dynasty, the ‘capital be ringed by eight rivers’ in Chang'an in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, ‘reduced water’ from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, and the ‘coordinated supply’ after the founding of the People's Republic of China. After sorting out the system, it is believed that the ‘Eight Waters’ in the territory are the original driving force for the flourishing Chang'an in history. From ancient times to the present, with the development of industry, there has been a trend that human settlements and rivers are farther away. Urban water supply has shifted from groundwater sources to surface water sources. This article investigates the evolution of water conservancy projects in Xi'an from the Paleolithic Age to the present, and studies the relationship between human production and life and water resources. The changing law and development trend of the water supply structure in Xi'an urban area in modern times are analyzed. We have summarized the enlightenment left to us by the practice of water conservancy projects for thousands of years. This paper provides references for the development and planning of water resources in similar cities. HIGHLIGHTS Water supply methods and water conservancy facilities over thousands of years are summarized.; The variation of water supply in Xi'an urban area in recent decades is investigated.; The development trend of Xi'an's water supply in the future is analyzed.;http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/21/5/2173drainagewater diversionwater source engineeringwater supplywater transfer
spellingShingle Wei Zhou
Junrui Chai
Zengguang Xu
Yixuan Wang
Kewu Wei
Yungang Dang
Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelations
Water Supply
drainage
water diversion
water source engineering
water supply
water transfer
title Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelations
title_full Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelations
title_fullStr Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelations
title_full_unstemmed Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelations
title_short Historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in Xi'an, China in the past 3,000 years and its revelations
title_sort historical evolution of urban water conservancy projects in xi an china in the past 3 000 years and its revelations
topic drainage
water diversion
water source engineering
water supply
water transfer
url http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/21/5/2173
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AT yixuanwang historicalevolutionofurbanwaterconservancyprojectsinxianchinainthepast3000yearsanditsrevelations
AT kewuwei historicalevolutionofurbanwaterconservancyprojectsinxianchinainthepast3000yearsanditsrevelations
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