(250624) -- BAYANNUR, June 24, 2025 (Xinhua) -- An aerial drone photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the main canal in Dengkou County of Bayannur, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Nestled at the top of the Yellow River's "Great Bend" and in the heart of the Hetao Plain, Bayannur is a city nurtured by the Yellow River, renowned as a granary of northern China.
The word Bayannur means "abundant lake" in Mongolian, perfectly describing the region's water resources. Viewd from above, the Hetao Irrigation Area reveals an extensive 64,000-kilometer network of irrigation channels that nourish the entire city, making it both the largest irrigation system in the Yellow River Basin and the largest single-source gravity-fed irrigation system in Asia.
The Sanshenggong Water Control Project serves as the sole water source for the Hetao Irrigation Area. The project's dam divides the river flow, with one branch flowing into the main canal that sustains the agricultural heartland, while the other continues downstream.
As part of the World Heritage Irrigation Structures, the ingenuity of the Hetao Irrigation Area lies in its dual function of water deliver and drainage. After irrigating farmlands, excess water flows through the main drainage canal into Ulansuhai Nur, creating a sustainable balance between human activity and water resources. (Xinhua/Li Zhipeng)
