The Kangding Louding earthquake of 1786 caused a landslide dam in the Dadu. Ten days later, 10 June 1786, the dam broke and the resulting flood extended 1400km downstream, and killed 100,000 people. It is the second-deadliest landslide disaster on record.
A song from the Chinese musical The East Is Red is entitled "Across the Dadu River."
There is also a Dadu River in Taiwan.