On the eve of the Qingming Festival, April 3, 2026, the Dujiangyan Water-Releasing Festival kicked off grandly at the Dujiangyan Scenic Area. A ritual that has endured for over two millennia to mark the annual maintenance and opening of the weir, this year’s event resonated perfectly with Chengdu’s first-ever Spring Holiday. Amid solemn sacrificial music and the surging spring waters of the Minjiang River, rooted in cultural inheritance and empowered by vibrant consumer scenarios, it composed a vibrant spring symphony of“boosting tourism through culture and revitalizing the city through tourism”.

At 10:30 a.m., three bugle calls resounded at the foot of Yulei Mountain, officially launching the Water-Releasing Ceremony. The event proceeded in accordance with ancient rituals: Inspecting the River and Announcing the Water Release – Jointly Building the Altar – Solemn Ceremony – Cutting the weir to Release Water. The chief priest led a procession to inspect the annual river maintenance, ascended the altar to respectfully recite the sacrificial oration, and commemorated the water-control achievements of Li Bing. After workers cut the weir, the surging Minjiang River water rushed into the inner river, drawing cheers and prayers from the crowd, recreating the magnificent spring scenery of the Land of Abundance.

As a national intangible cultural heritage, the Dujiangyan Water-Releasing Festival serves as an international showcase for China’s wisdom in harnessing water. In 2025, Chinese and French heads of state met here to reflect on the philosophy of water governance and state governance. At this year’s ceremony, the immersive theatrical dialogue Cherishing Water for Eternity interpreted the Eastern philosophy of water governance“adjusting measures to local conditions, following the natural flow, harmony between humanity and nature, and managing water for the people” through a time‑transcending performance. More than 50 diplomatic envoys, consuls from 16 countries, and representatives from Malta’s sister cities attended in Hanfu, experiencing China’s“wisdom” in an immersive way.

Taking the opportunity of the Water-Releasing Festival, the 2026 Diplomatic and Consular Corps Visit to Dujiangyan city promotion event and the China（Chengdu）-Malta Health & Wellness Industry Exchange were held simultaneously, further deepening international exchanges and industrial cooperation. As the"International Parlor of the Land of Abundance", Dujiangyan showcased the charm of water culture to the world.

This year's Water-Releasing Festival coincided with Chengdu's first-ever Spring Holiday, and the combined festival and vacation boosted the spring economy. Focusing on intangible cultural heritage experiences, river weir viewing, parent-child study tours, and ancient city roaming, the local authorities launched themed events including In the Footsteps of Li Bing, the Fireworks Promenade, and the Tianfu Precious Water Market, turning cultural popularity into consumption vitality.

Meanwhile, an innovative"public participation" model was introduced. Fifty parent-child families selected by random lottery took on roles at random to participate in the grand ceremony immersively. Children learned water conservancy knowledge and appreciated traditional wisdom through study tours, achieving in-depth integration of culture and tourism.

To this day, Dujiangyan continues to deliver vital irrigation benefits. In 2026, the irrigation district plans to supply water for 11.945 million mu of irrigated farmland and support rice transplanting on 6.064 million mu, benefiting residents across 8 cities and 41 counties (cities, districts), and solidifying the foundation of the"Granary of Tianfu".

Spring waters flow on; cultural heritage endures forever. The millennium-old weir still nourishes people’s livelihoods.

With water as its soul and the weir as its backbone, Dujiangyan will continue to integrate cultural inheritance with economic development, writing a new chapter for the precision irrigation area of the Tianfu Granary and a happy, livable city.