Between the Himalayas and the Gangdise-Nyainqentanglha Mountains, there is a valley plain. The Chongqu River, which originates in the northern foothills of the Himalayas, flows through this valley before entering the Yarlung Zangbo River. In the 11^th century AD, on the hillside above the northern bank of the Chongqu River, a Buddhist monastery was built. It was named "Sakya", meaning pale grey earth in Tibetan.

Sakya is located on a plateau with a temperate, semi-arid monsoon climate. The plateau boasts an average altitude of more than 4,000 m, an average annual temperature of 5 to 6 ℃, and an annual rainfall of about 150 to 300 mm. To make full and effective use of the limited water resource, the people of Sakya started the construction of a water storage irrigation system along the Chongqu River no later than the 13^th century. Because of complex terrain, most of the water pools were built near the Chongqu River. Some are natural pools embanked with stones; some are man-made water storage facilities using weirs, and some are excavated to store water diverted from the Chongqu river. The water storage capacity of a single pool is about 30,000 to 50,000 m³ during the wet season. In addition to water storage, the pools have another important function: to increase the temperature of the irrigation water. The water of the Chongqu River is mainly meltwater from the surrounding snowcapped mountains around 3°C, but because of the pools, the temperature of irrigation water could be raised to around 13°C, which could promote crop growth and increase yields. At present, there are more than 400 pools still irrigating farmland in Sakya County. At the forking point, the river is controlled by a three-gate sluice after which the water runs to three pools respectively. The pools, also equipped with sluices, provide water for downstream canals and then farmland.

Apart from its unique location and structures, it also features a unique irrigation management system. The Sakya Water Storage Irrigation System has promoted regional social and economic development, and at the same time led to the rapid rise of Sakya’s political status. The Sakya Water Storage Irrigation System, high atop the roof of the world, has been in operation for centuries and still irrigates thousands of hectares of highland barley. On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the natural conditions are extremely harsh. Despite that and the rudimentary engineering equipment and building materials, local people have managed to build a marvellous project, leaving the field of hydraulic engineering and human civilization with a formidable legacy.

On the premise that the construction equipment and materials were relatively backward at that time, the natural terrain and existing conditions were fully used, favourable conditions were skillfully created to fend off natural disasters that modern water conservancy projects strive to achieve, and the comprehensive functional requirements of irrigation and drought resistance were met, without too much transformation and damage to the natural environment; the sustainable development of the local social economy was ensured, and the wisdom of ancestors in controlling waters was fully embodied; different water storage irrigation systems were chosen according to local conditions and terrain conditions

The establishment and development of the Sakya water storage irrigation system greatly increased the regional grain output and population growth, making Sakya the capital city of the Tibet region at that time. Sakya water storage irrigation system is the hub gathering regional folk customs, religion and water architecture culture. Even today, Sakya Temple boasts the richest collection of books in Tibetan Buddhism, so it is known as "the second Dunhuang".