recently, a video shared by a gaming fan from east china's shandong province went viral, as it used a simulation game to clearly demonstrate how dujiangyan, the world's oldest irrigation system, functions for water control and management.
according to a report by west china metropolis daily, liu yong, who created the video, took a whole day collecting and organizing relevant information about dujiangyan from various channels. he then spent most of another day designing and testing in the game, and after multiple refinements, he finally completed this popular science video.
the dujiangyan irrigation system was built around 256 bc and still functions more than 2,200 years later. unlike modern dams, dujiangyan has no movable components. it is the world's oldest and only remaining large-scale water conservancy project characterized by dam-free diversion, making its design principles difficult to understand, even for visitors.
in his 3-minute video, liu recreated the topography and protective structures of dujiangyan through simulation. he also set up the important parts of the irrigation system in the game to show their water distribution functions according to dry and wet seasons.
the video has garnered hundreds of thousands of likes since it was posted, as it presents a clear and captivating demonstration of how the irrigation system operates, making it easy for people to understand.
"i used to play games only for entertainment, but now i can also do science popularization, which has made me feel that what i do becomes meaningful," said liu.
the video was later adopted by the dujiangyan scenic area to help explain to the visitors how the irrigation system works.
now, liu is working on creating the videos of the zhengguo canal and the lingqu canal, another two great hydraulic engineering projects of the qin dynasty (221-206 bc).
according to him, he also plans to explore how the three gorges dam works, as well as the formation of the sichuan basin and the yangtze river.
