The longest waterway that has ever been constructed is located in China, and connects Hang-zhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing. The Grand Canal, also called Jing-Hang Yunhe, is not a single waterway but a series of waterways with length of around 1776 km. Successive Chinese regimes used this waterway to transport surplus grains from the agriculturally rich Yangtze (Chang) and Huai river valleys to feed the capital cities and the large armies in northern China. This structure is now considered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The part of the canal that was originally on the Huang He (Yellow River) is the oldest part of this waterway. It was traditionally known as the Shanyang Canal but it is now called the Southern Grand Canal (Nan Yunhe) and is located between the Yangtze and the city of Huaiyin (formerly called Qingjiang) in Jiangsu province. It reaches its maximum height of 42 metres in the mountains of Shan-dong.
This system of canals has led to faster trading between different provinces and has supported China’s economy. The part of the canal in the south of the Yellow River continues to be extensively used by barges carrying bulk materials and containers.
Picture Credit : Google
