At the Jimsar County Museum lies a treasured relic, ceramic drain pipes from the Tang Dynasty that have borne witness to the passage of history.

"These Tang Dynasty ceramic drain pipes were unearthed in 1982 at the Beiting City ruins by a local villager who found them while farming and subsequently handed them over to the Cultural Heritage Administration in Jimsar County," stated Chai Xiufen, the museum's deputy director. The ceramic drain pipes are shaped like a cylinder, measuring 7.6 cm in outer diameter, with a remaining length of 39 cm and a wall thickness of 1.5 cm. Their fine craftsmanship and smooth lines have classified them as national third-grade cultural relics.

These segments of ceramic drain pipes bears witness of a period of history. The artifacts were collected from the Beiting City ruins, which housed the Beiting Protectorate during the Tang Dynasty and served as a political, military, and cultural hub on the Silk Road from the Tang to Yuan periods.

"Jimsar County is a modern administrative division, yet it is inextricably linked with the historic Beiting City," said Chai Xiufen. "Together, they bear witness to the profound changes that have shaped this land and carry a rich historical and cultural significance." Today, Jimsar County not only preserves the historical legacy of Beiting but also continues to unearth and pass on these precious historical relics amidst its modern development.

Historical records indicate that during the Tang Dynasty, Jimsar boasted not only wide and orderly streets but also an advanced water supply and drainage system. Ingenious water diversion projects directed distant spring water into the city for civil use. Multiple cisterns and water towers were constructed both inside and outside the city to ensure a water supply during dry seasons.

Additionally, an underground drainage network was laid out, creating a comprehensive water management system. The discovery of these Tang Dynasty ceramic drainage pipes substantiates these historical accounts and offers invaluable physical evidence for the study of Jimsar's history, culture, and economy at that time.

Beiting culture is a significant component in the research of Xue Zongzheng, an expert on Beiting history and culture at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences. And in studying the rich history of Jimsar County, one cannot ignore the in-depth exploration of the Beiting City ruins.

Xue believes that the ceramic drain pipes are ample evidence of the ancient people's foresight, their desire for a civilized lifestyle, and their recognition of the importance of the drainage system. In ancient times, people had meticulously planned for water supply, drainage, and irrigation facilities as part of urban development.

Among the collections in museums across Xinjiang, unearthed ceramic drain pipes are rare. And a segment ceramic drainage pipe from the Tang Dynasty was once excavated from the ancient city of Kezilexieer in Xinhe County, Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Unlike the one housed in the Jimsar County Museum, this pipe is slightly larger, plain-surfaced, and made of red sand-tempered pottery. It has a tubular shape with differently sized ends—one flared and the other narrower for interlocking, allowing pipes to be connected and forming a network. In areas requiring turns, triple-holed pipes were laid underground, providing substantial evidence of the ancient city's drainage system.

These plain ceramic drainage pipes from the Tang Dynasty vividly reflect the ancient people's exploitation and utilization of water resources and the advancement of their hydraulic technology. These pipes silently document the urban development of Jimsar County and narrate the long and profound history of this land.

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