TURPAN, CHINA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Built some 2,000 years ago, the Karez wells draw water from deep underground to the surface.
They are considered one of the three most impressive ancient man-made structures in China, along with the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. Karez wells are supplied with water from the melted ice and snow in Xinjiang's Tianshan Mountains, which flow down to the Turpan Basin.
The total length of the Karez wells once reached 5,000 kilometers. According to the third national relics census, there are still more than 1,500 such Karez wells in Xinjiang. Among them, over 1,100 are in Turpan, one of the hottest and driest regions in China.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
