The ancient Chinese village protected by huge autonomous fire sprinklers

Wengding village, known as “China’s last remaining primitive tribe,” installed an autonomous fire sprinkling system after a devastating fire destroyed much of the village in 2021.

From Superinnovators 22/08/24

Autonomous sprinkler in Wengding, China

The fire, fueled by strong winds, spread rapidly through the village, burning over 100 traditional straw huts to the ground.

The 400-year-old settlement belonging to the Wa people is a tourist attraction in China’s southwestern Yunnan province.

Following the disaster, Wengding was rebuilt, and a new water hose sprinkler system was put in place to protect the reconstructed straw huts from future fires.

This system, first highlighted in a January 2023 post by People’s Daily, China, is designed to activate automatically in the event of a fire.

The hoses are strategically placed throughout the village hidden from view inside miniature straw huts that open and spray when a fire is detected.

The system has yet to be used in an actual fire but is tested regularly.

Wengding, China

Interestingly, a similar fire prevention system is used in Kayabuki no Sato, an ancient village in Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture.

Kayabuki no Sato features 62 automatic water hoses installed to protect its historic thatched-roof houses, some of which are over 200 years old.

The Japanese system has been in place since 1993 and blends seamlessly into the village’s traditional aesthetic, with hoses hidden in small huts.

The biannual testing of the system in Kayabuki no Sato has become a tourist attraction, drawing crowds to witness the water spectacle.

Wengding’s approach to fire prevention mirrors that of Kayabuki no Sato, combining modern technology with efforts to preserve traditional architecture.

During the 2021 fire, Wengding’s firefighting efforts were hampered by a shortage of water, which the new system aims to address.