Ancient Chinese Drain System Saves City From Flooding

A 900 year-old drainage system has saved a city in south China from severe floods that left more than 100 people dead and a million homeless across the region.

This summer’s torrential rain and flash floods have caused billions of dollars in damage.





Nearly 40 people were killed this week alone in a series of landslides. Even the modern Three Gorges Dam, built to hold back 22 billion cubic meters of floodwater, is expected to be severely tested.

But the 100,000 residents of the ancient city of Ganzhou, in southern China's Jiangxi province, are safe and dry, thanks to two drains built during the Song dynasty, which have proved far more effective than modern sewer systems at coping with the downpour.