The Grand Canal, or the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, was a giant irrigation project of ancient China. With a history of over 1,400 years and a length of 1,794 kilometers it is one of the world’s oldest canals and is the longest man-made river in the world. The canal goes from Tongxian County, Beijing, in the north to Hangzhou, Zhejiang, in the south. It flows past Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and connects five large rivers---the Haihe, Huanghe Huaihe, and Qiantang and Yangtze River.

In the late Spring and Autumn Period in the 5th century B.C., a canal was first cut near Yangzhou, Jiangsu, to guide the waters of the Yangtze River to the north. This was lengthened first during the Sui Dynasty of the 7th century, and finally during the Yuan Dynasty of 13th century, to become what has been known as the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal was the major transport artery between north and south China during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, contributing greatly to the economic and cultural exchange between north and south---a role denied to the large natural rivers that mostly flow from west to east. Owing to the development of the maritime transport between north and south and the opening of the Tianjin-Pukou and Beijing –Hankou railways after the mid-19th century, the role of the Grand Canal was greatly reduced and many sections of it fell into disrepair or became choked with mud. The Grand Canal gained a new lease on life after the founding of the People’s Republic. Except for the section in Shandong which is only partly serviceable, many other sections are navigable in some of the seasons while the 800-kilomerer stretch from Jiangsu to Zhejiang open to year-round shipping.