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The Grand Canal
UNESCO siteDate of Insscription: 2014
The Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in the
north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running from Beijing in the
north to Zhejiang province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th
century BC onwards, it was conceived as a unified means of communication for
the Empire for the first time in the 7th century AD (Sui dynasty). This led to
a series of gigantic construction sites, creating the world’s largest and most
extensive civil engineering project prior to the Industrial Revolution. It
formed the backbone of the Empire’s inland communication system, transporting
grain and strategic raw materials, and supplying rice to feed the population.
By the 13th century it consisted of more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways,
linking five of China’s main river basins. It has played an important role in
ensuring the country’s economic prosperity and stability and is still in use
today as a major means of communication.
Brief synthesis
The Grand Canal forms a vast inland waterway system in the
north-eastern and central eastern plains of China, passing through eight of the
country’s present-day provinces. It runs from the capital Beijing in the north
to Zhejiang Province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century
BC onwards, it was conceived as a unified means of communication for the Empire
for the first time in the 7th century AD (Sui Dynasty). This led to a series of
gigantic worksites, creating the world’s largest and most extensive civil
engineering project ensemble prior to the Industrial Revolution. Completed and
maintained by successive dynasties, it formed the backbone of the Empire’s
inland communications system. Its management was made possible over a long
period by means of the Caoyun system, the imperial monopoly for the transport
of grain and strategic raw materials, and for the taxation and control of
traffic. The system enabled the supply of rice to feed the population, the
unified administration of the territory, and the transport of troops. The Grand
Canal reached a new peak in the 13th century (Yuan Dynasty), providing a
unified inland navigation network consisting of more than 2,000 km of
artificial waterways, linking five of the most important river basins in China,
including the Yellow River and the Yangtze. Still a major means of internal
communication today, it has played an important role in ensuring the economic
prosperity and stability of China over the ages.
Source: unesco.org
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