Grand Canal of China
The
Grand Canal () of
China, also known as the
Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal () is the largest ancient
canal or artificial
river in the world. The oldest parts of the canal date back to the
5th century BC.
The idea of a waterway to cut across the
Chinese mainland sprouted in the late
Spring and Autumn Period (
722-
481 BC), when Fu Chai, the Duke of
Wu (present-day
Suzhou), travelled north to conquer other kingdoms. He ordered a canal to be constructed, called Han Gou, to transport soldiers. The canal was first cut near
Yangzhou,
Jiangsu to guide the waters of the
Yangtze River to the north.
It was lengthened during the
Sui Dynasty (
581-
618) and then again during the
Yuan Dynasty (
1206-
1368), to become the Grand Canal. In the year of
604,
Emperor Yang Guang (or Sui Yangdi) of
Sui Dynasty left
Chang'an (present-day
Xi'an), the capital, and made his rounds in
Luoyang. In
605, the emperor gave an order to build two projects: transferring the
capital from
Chang'an to
Luoyang and excavating the Grand Canal linking
Beijing and
Hangzhou. It took over six years to build the Grand Canal linking all the canals along it and connecting five river systems those of the
Hai River,
Yellow River,
Huai River,
Qiantang River, and
Yangtze River. The Grand Canal starts north in
Beijing and ends south in
Hangzhou,
Zhejiang with a total length of 1,794
km (1,115
miles). It passes through
Beijing,
Tianjin,
Hebei,
Shandong,
Jiangsu and
Zhejiang.
During the
Yuan,
Ming (
1368-
1644), and
Qing (
1644-
1911) dynasties, the Grand Canal served as the main artery between northern and southern China and was essential for the transport of grain to Beijing. Although it was mainly used for shipping grain, the waterway also transported other commodities. The area around the Grand Canal eventually developed into an important business belt. Records show that every year more than 8,000 boats transported 4 to 6 million
dan (200,000 to 300,000 tonnes) of grain to Beijing.
[1] The convenience of transport also enabled the rulers to lead inspection tours to southern China. In the Qing Dynasty, Emperor
Kangxi and
Qianlong made 12 trips to southern China, on all occasions but once reaching the south terminus in Hangzhou.
The Grand Canal also bridged the cultural exchanges between the north and south of China. The canal even made a distinct impression on some of China's early European visitors.
Marco Polo recounted the Grand Canal's arched bridges as well as the warehouses and the prosperous trade in the 13th century. The famous Roman Catholic missionary
Matteo Ricci travelled from
Nanjing to
Beijing on the canal at the end of 16th century.
By the mid-19th century however, the development of maritime transport and the opening of the Tianjin-Pukou and Beijing-Hankou railways reduced the canal's role greatly. Many of its sections fell into disrepair, and some parts became choked with mud. After the founding of the
People's Republic of China in
1949, the need for economic development led the authorities to order heavy reconstruction work on the Grand Canal.
According to the writings published by
Père Gandar, the total length of the canal is 3630
li, or about 1200 miles (1930km). A rough measurement, taking account only of the main bends of the canal, makes its length 850 miles. After leaving
Hangzhou the canal passes round the eastern border of the
Lake Tai, surrounding in its course the beautiful city of
Suzhou, and then trends in a generally north-westerly direction through the fertile districts of
Jiangsu as far as Jingjiang on the
Yangtze.In this, the southern section, the slope is gentle and water is plentiful (from 7 feet (2.1 m) at low water to 11 feet (3.4 m), and occasionally 13 feet (4 m) at high water). Between Suzhou and
Jingjiang the canal is often over 100 feet (30 m) wide, and its sides are in many places faced with stone. It is spanned by fine stone bridges, and near its banks are many memorial arches and lofty
pagodas.
In the central portion of the canal, that is between Jingjiang and Qingjiangpu, at which latter place it crosses the dry channel which marks the course of the
Yellow River before
1852, the current is strong and difficult to ascend in the upward (northern) journey. This part of the canal skirts several lakes and is fed by the Huai He as it issues from the Xingzuo lake. The country lying west of the canal is higher than its bed; while the country east is lower than the canal, The two regions are known respectively as Shanghe (above the river) and Xiahe (below the river). Waste weirs opening on the Xiahe (one of the great rice-producing areas of China) discharge the surplus water in flood seasons.
The northern and considerably the longest section of the canal, extends from the old bed of the Yellow river to Tianjin. It largely utilizes existing rivers and follows their original windings. Between Xingjiangpu and the present course of the Yellow River the canal trends north-northwest, skirting the highlands of
Shandong. In this region it passes through a series of lagoons, which in summer form one lake -- Zhouyang. North of that lake on the east bank of the canal, is the city of Ziningzhou. About 25 miles north of that city the highest level of the canal is reached at the town of Nan Wang. Here the river Wen enters the canal from the east, and about 30 miles farther north the Yellow River is reached. On the west side of the canal, at the point where the Yellow River now cuts across it, there is laid down in Chinese maps of the
18th century a dry channel which is described as being followed by the Yellow River before it took the channel it abandoned in 1851-1853.
The passage of the Yellow River to the part of the canal north of this stream is difficult, and can only be effected at certain levels of the river. Frequently the waters of the river are either too low or the current is too strong to permit a passage. Leaving this point the canal passes through a well-wooded and hilly country west of Dongping Zhou and east of Dongchang Fu. At Linjing Zhou it is joined at right angles by the Wei river in the midst of the city. Up to this point, i.e. from Qingjiangbu to Linjing Zhou, a distance of over 300 miles, navigation is difficult and the water-supply often insufficient. The differences of level, 20 to 30 feet, are provided for by
barrages over which the boats are hauled by windlasses. Below the junction with the Wei the canal borrows the channel of the river and again becomes easily navigable. Crossing the frontier into Hebei, between De Zhou and Zang Zhou, which it passes to the west, it joins the Beihe at Tianjin, after having received the waters of the Geduo river in the neighbourhood of Qing Xian.
The most ancient part of the canal is the section between the
Yangtze and the
Huai Rivers. This part is thought, on the strength of a passage in one of the books of
Confucius, to have been built c.
486 BC. It was repaired and enlarged in the
3rd century AD. The southern part, between the
Yangtze and
Hangzhou, was built early in the
7th century AD (initially named as
Jiang Nan He (江南河)). The northern part is stated to have been constructed in the years
1280 to
1283. The entire canal was reconstructed between
1411 and
1415 during the
Ming Dynasty by the
Yongle Emperor. The northern portion of the canal is now of little use as a means of communication between north and south. It is badly built, neglected and charged with the mud-laden waters of the
Yellow River. The central and southern portions of the canal are very largely used.
*
Lingqu Canal
