Song Hua Ba dam construction

The construction of Song Hua Ba dam on the Pan Long Jiang river was a most important hydraulic engineering for water management in the history of Yunnan. As mentioned above, the lower basin of Pan Long Jiang river was often flooded in summer, but there was not enough water to irrigate the paddy fields in winter simultaneously. For controlling the water of the river, Mr. Sai Dian Chi, the governor of Yunnan, decided to build a dam on the river. In 1276，he led the project to build the dam with clay and wood in the place of the link where the Pan Long Jiang river from the mountains flows into the lower area. After the dam was constructed, the Pan Long Jiang river was governed effectively, flood was controlled in summer and availably of water supply for irrigation was increased with other projects（Kunming Water Work Bureau 1996）. This achievement also brought the possibility of supporting a rapidly growing population and widening of farmland in the early Yuan Dynasty, a rapidly developing period in the history of Yunnan. In later dynasties, the Song Hua Ba dam was repaired or rebuilt continually and it has played an important role in water management of Kunming area from its early age until today（Fig.5）.

Fig.5 A current photo of Song Hua Ba dam, it was rebuilt in 1959