Water Wheels of Yunnan

Water Wheel in Shuhe, Yunnan

A dominant characteristic of most of the towns I visited in the Yunnan region of China was its series of canals and other waterways. These running waters provided an essential source of water for cooking and cleaning. Water wheels used to be much more common in these towns, but now I only found a few. 

Water Wheel in Lijiang, Yunnan

According to one website, the water wheels in Lijiang were used as pumps for the town's advanced water transportation. The pair of wheels as pictured above stands right below the UNESCO sign/logo stating the status of the city as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

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