Water supply of the cities in ancient China

Water-supply facilities have a long history in China. Historical records show that the level of development of a city depended highly on sufficiency of water. Past research has shown that highly developed water-supply facilities existed in ancient China, and the prosperous periods in Chinese history all had comprehensive water-supply planning and reasonable choice of water source. This paper introduces and analyzes the highly comprehensive water system planning, water-supply facilities and the evolution of water-supply technology of cities in ancient China. The discussion includes water-supply system consisted of pipeline system and cleaning measures in City of Yangcheng (of Eastern Zhou Dynasty), and the choice of water source and history of water-supply development of ancient Cities of Chang'an (modern Xi'an) and Beijing. The paper also sums up the main methods and achievements in water-supply of cities in ancient China, and the experience that are applicable in modern city planning and water-supply technology.