Manufacturing technology of Lanzhou Yellow River water tanker

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: the production techniques of the Yellow River waterwheel in Lanzhou

Applicant: Lanzhou City, Gansu Province

Item No.: 398

Project No.: VIII - 48

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Gansu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Lanzhou City, Gansu Province

Protection unit: Xigu District Cultural Center, Lanzhou City

Brief introduction to the manufacturing technology of Lanzhou Yellow River water tanker:

Applicant: Lanzhou City, Gansu Province

Lanzhou is located in the hinterland of Eurasian continent, with the characteristics of belt basin City, drought and less rain. The Yellow River passes through the city from west to East, with a drop of more than 10 meters to more than 20 meters above the ground, which brings abundant natural hydraulic resources.

In 1556, Duan Xu drew lessons from the irrigation technology of Tonghe in Yunnan, and created a local water truck in Lanzhou. The Yellow River water truck makes use of the current impulse to work and becomes a cheap and efficient irrigation tool. The diameter of waterwheel is 17.8 meters for small ones and 20 meters for large ones. There are single car, double car and multiple cars. One waterwheel can irrigate seven or eight hundred mu of farmland. Since the end of Ming Dynasty, the big waterwheel has been widely used in Gaolan, Baiyin, Jingchuan, Pingliang, Yinchuan and Shaanxi in the Yellow River Basin, promoting the development of agricultural production in these areas.

The Yellow River waterwheel is an important part of the Yellow River culture, which embodies the creativity of the Chinese nation and provides a witness for the study of Chinese agricultural civilization and water conservancy history. The invention of the waterwheel laid the foundation for the people to live and work in peace and social harmony and stability.

In 1952, there were 252 water tankers on the Bank of the Yellow River in Lanzhou. Since the widespread application of electric power irrigation technology, the number of water tankers has decreased year by year, and there are few successors. Facing the endangered situation, it has become an urgent and important task to protect the production technology of Yellow River water tankers.

Chinese PinYin : Lan Zhou Huang He Da Shui Che Zhi Zuo Ji Yi