The Grand Canal of China – a Brief Introduction
At 1,794 km, the Grand Canal of China (Jing-Hang Da Yun He/京杭大运河) is the world’s longest man-made waterway, connecting the present cities of Beijing and Hangzhou, which served as dynastic capitals. Since most of China’s major rivers flow from west to east, the Grand Canal running north and south provides an important connector between the Yangtze River valley and northern China, linking Haihe River, Yellow River, Huaihe River, Yangtze River, and Qiantang River. The canal played a vital role in the administration and defense of the country as a whole and formed the basis of a unified economy.
Construction of the Grand Canal began in the 15th century B.C. (in the late Spring and Autumn Period), and two large-scale expansion projects were launched in the seventh century (the Sui period) and the 13th century (the Yuan period). Building techniques were primitive and there was much suffering amongst the peasant builders. According to legend, during the Sui Dynasty 6 million men were conscripted and about half of them died of hard labour and hunger, which contributed to the dynasty’s downfall.
The key function of the Grand Canal these days is water diversion. The Beijing-Shanghai Railway and sophisticated road systems have marginalized the canal as an important means of transportation, although parts of it, mainly the central and southern sections, are still in use, mainly for the transportation of coal and building materials.
In the year of 2014, the Grand Canal of China as a whole was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Local governments along the Canal in recognition of its potential as a popular tourist attraction have been restoring and dredging unnavigable sections under the watch of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. We are hopeful that we would be able to offer multi-day cruises on the Grand Canal in the near future. Currently we only provide an hour-long cruise on the Grand Canal to groups visiting Suzhou.
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