Ximen Bao

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ximen Bao (西門豹) was a minister in ancient China and adviser to Wen Wei (v 445th BC-396 v. Chr.) (魏文侯) during the Warring States Period v (481st BC-221 v. Chr.). He is also known as an early rationalist who had the inhumane punishment of sacrificing people to river gods abolished by law in Wei State . Although former statesman Sunshu Ao is considered China's first hydraulic engineer (who dammed a river into a large reservoir for irrigation ), Ximen Bao is still the first engineer in China to create a large irrigation canal system.

Hydraulic engineering

Ximen Bao was famous during his life and after for his great work in hydraulic engineering during the 5th century BC. He organized an extensive diversion of the river Zhang He (漳河), which previously flowed into the Huang He at Anyang . The new course that the river took after the diversion project led the river further below at its bend near today's city of Tianjin in the Huang He. The Zhang River has its source in the mountains of Shanxi , flows in a south-easterly direction, and at that time increased the risk of flooding on the Huang He. Ultimately, the main purpose of this major engineering project was to irrigate a large agricultural region in Henei in the lower left basin of Huang He by providing it with a naturally-sloping canal.

Work on the canal system began sometime between 403 BC. BC and 387 BC When Marquis Wen and his successor, Marquis Wu, ruled the state of Wei. Due to some setbacks (including some temporary opposition to forced labor ), it wasn't finished until a century later, during the time of Wen's grandson, King Xiang (襄王) (319 BC-296 BC). During this time, Wei engineer Shi Chi completed Ximen Bao's work.

In honor of the Zhang River diversion project, the people made a folk song about how it is recorded in the historical work of the historian Ban Gu in the later Han Dynasty .

See also

swell

  • Joseph Needham: Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Part 3 . Taipei, Caves Books Ltd., 1986
  1. ↑ a b c d e f Needham, Volume 4, Part 3, 271.
  2. ↑ Needham, Volume 4, Part 3, 374

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ximen Bao
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 西門豹 (Chinese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese minister and hydraulic engineer
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC Chr.
PLACE OF BIRTH China
DATE OF DEATH 5th century BC BC or 4th century BC Chr.
Place of death China