|
 This
refers to special wells
that are linked by
underground tunnels and
provide irrigation in
the desert. This method
of irrigation was passed
on to Xinjiang people
during the Western Han
Dynasty (206 B.C. – A.D.
24). The wells were sunk
at varying distances to
a dozen or several dozen
meters deep to collect
undercurrent water from
melting snow. The water
is then channeled
through tunnels dug from
the bottom of one well
to the next and led to
oases for irrigation.
Most of such irrigation
tunnels stretch for some
three kilometers, but
some extend as far as
thirty kilometers. There
are about 1,100 such
wells in the area
embracing Hami and the
Turpan Depression.
Today, the total length
of such underground
irrigation tunnels in
Xinjiang runs for three
thousand kilometers. The
project can well be
compared with the Great
Wall and the Grand
Canal. The world-famous
grapes of Xinjiang owe
their excellence to the
existence of these
wells. |
