A Textual Research on Cui Yuan’s Alleged Water Management Merits to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Abstract

Both the Qianlong and Guangxu editions of the Guan County Gazetteer(Guanxian Zhi) record that the renowned official Cui Yuan of Eastern Han dynasty served as the Magistrate of Guan County (Guanxian Ling) and made significant contributions to the governance of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System. However, an examination of authoritative historical texts, such as the History of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu) and the Sichuan General Gazetteer (Sichuan Tongzhi), reveals no explicit record of Cui Yuan serving as the Magistrate of Guan County. By synthesizing relevant historical materials, this study confirms that it is historically improbable for Cui Yuan to have contributed to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System maintenance and governance.