Four Chinese irrigation projects have been added to the World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS) list, bringing the country's total number of recognized sites to 46.
The 2026 WHIS list was officially announced at the 77th International Executive Council Meeting of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) in Marseille, France, on Wednesday. All four China-nominated irrigation projects were successfully selected.
The four newly recognized sites are the Guangli Canal of the Qinhe River in central China's Henan Province, the Taolai River Oasis Irrigation System in northwest China's Gansu Province, the Huangsha Canal in Guangxin, Shangrao City, east China's Jiangxi Province, and the Longjin Ancient Weir Irrigation Project in southeast China's Fujian Province.