In 1934, taking the Luo River flowing through Shaanxi as the water source, on the basis of the Longshou Canal of the Western Han Dynasty, a new canal system was built, named "Luohui Canal". At that time, in the territory of Dali County, Weinan City, the irrigation channels here were rectified. On the east side of Yijing Village, a watershed tower was built to become the water distribution hub of the irrigation canal on the east bank of the Luo River.
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On the morning of September 13, 2021, under the leadership of the unit leaders, my colleagues and I went to Dali County to visit the landscape left behind by the Luohui Canal Water Conservancy Project. First, we came to the east side of Yijing Village in Xuzhuang Town, walked into an abandoned courtyard, and saw a towering bunker, known as the "Hidden Silver Building".
In 1933, when the Lo Hui Canal was built, a special silver building was built to store silver dollars. The building has two floors, the shape is unequal edged pentagonal, with vents, shooting holes and observation decks, etc., the defense function is complete, and the concealment is very strong.
The courtyard where this silver building is located, sitting north and facing south, is symmetrical from east to west, with neat houses and spacious space. It is said that this place was once a water distribution station of the Luohui Canal Administration Bureau of Weinan City. On both sides of the gate, you can see big red characters such as "Strengthen Water Distribution Management"; on the adobe walls, red slogans such as "LiZhi Luohui Canal Water Distribution Work, Love And Dedication to Youth" are preserved.
Today, the water distribution station of the Luohui Canal Management Bureau in Weinan City has been removed, leaving only these old houses and empty yards. However, as a testimony to the history of lo hui canal, the buildings here have been preserved intact.
Walking out of the gate on the south side of the water distribution station of the Luohui Canal Administration bureau in Weinan City, you will be greeted by the three main canals of the Luohui Canal, and next to it stands a watershed tower. It is located at 21+738 of the main trunk canal, where the three main canals of the east, west and middle of the Lo Hui Canal are allocated and divided.
In 1935, designed by Li Kuishun, the construction of the gate tower began. In October 1936, the gate tower was officially completed as a two-story reinforced concrete structure. The upper floor is a palace-style structure, with delicate brick carvings and flying pavilions; the lower floor is a pavilion-style corridor, supported by stone pillars, without walls, and a unique style of Chinese and Western styles. Under the gate tower, there are exquisite masonry buildings, more than 50 decaying teeth on the slope, which have gone through the vicissitudes of time and the pulp is dark and steep.
In 1975, after the main canal of Luohui Canal was rerouted, the sluice tower was also discontinued. However, the three trunk canals in the east, west and middle here are still functioning, irrigating the farmland of Dali County, Chengcheng County and Pucheng County.
In 1933, the Luohui Canal, planned and designed by General Yang Hucheng and water conservancy expert Li Yizhi, realized the transmutation and leap of the ancient irrigation area, and was known as one of the "Eight Huis of Guanzhong". After the founding of New China, after many transformations, the canal system supporting systems and field projects in the Luohui Canal Irrigation District were improved. The modern Luohui Canal has developed into a large-scale irrigation area with a complete irrigation and drainage system, consisting of a dam, an irrigation and drainage canal system and supporting facilities, with two major systems of Luodong and Luoxi respectively, with 18 main branch canals, a total length of 248 kilometers, irrigating 740,000 mu of farmland, benefiting more than 690,000 people.