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Dujiangyan is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China, bordered by the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture to the north and west. Dujiangyan was formerly a county named Guanxian, in Chinese literally "irrigation" (guan) county (xian). The county became a county-level city in 1988, and was renamed after the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which is located in the northwestern area of the city, famous for still providing neighboring major city Chengdu with water even though it was built around 250 BC. Around 250 BC during the Warring States period, Li Bing, a governor of Shu in the Qin state with his son directed the construction of Dujiangyan. Li Bing gave up the old way of dam building, which was simply trying to catch the floodwaters. Instead he employed a new method by channeling and dividing the water to harness the Min River. He accomplished this by separating the project into two main parts: the headwork and the irrigation system. The project effectively put flood waters under control. For over two thousand years the whole system has functioned perfectly, serving not only for flood prevention but also as an immense source for irrigation and a means to facilitate shipping and wood drifting. It has contributed greatly to the richness of Chengdu Plain with its reputation as "The Land of Abundance".