The Grand Canal starts from Beijing in the north and ends in Hangzhou in the south. It flows through six provinces and cities of Beijing, Hebei, Tian Jian, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and connects five major water systems, namely Haihe River, Yellow River, Huaihe River, Yangtze River and Qiantang River, with a total length of 1.794 km. In the history of the development of the Chinese nation, it has made great contributions to the development of North-South traffic and the communication of economic and cultural ties between North and South.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was dug in 486 BC and opened to traffic in A.D. 1293, lasting 1779. In the long years, it has experienced three major construction processes.
The first time was in the late spring and autumn period of the fifth century BC. Fu Cha, the king of Wu who ruled the lower reaches of the Yangtze River at that time, mobilized civilian workers to dig canals from Yangzhou to the northeast, through Sheyang Lake to Huai 'an, and into the Huaihe River (now the Canal). It was named "Hangou" because it passed through Hancheng, with a total length of170km, which introduced the Yangtze River water into the Huaihe River and became the earliest section of the Grand Canal.
The second time was in the early 7th century, after the Sui Dynasty unified the whole country, Luoyang was established as its capital. In order to control the vast areas in the south of the Yangtze River and transport the rich materials in the Yangtze River Delta to Luoyang, in 603 AD, Yang Di ordered the excavation of the Yongji Canal, which was about 1 000 km long from Luoyang to Zhuo Jun County, Hebei Province (now southwest of Beijing). In 605 AD, he was ordered to dig a "Tongluo Canal" with a length of about 1000 km from Luoyang to Qingjiang (Huaiyin) in Jiangsu. Then in 6 10 ad, the "Jiangnan Canal" with a length of about 400 kilometers was dug from Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province (the foreign trade port at that time); At the same time, the Hangou was reformed. In this way, the river from Luoyang to Hangzhou with a total length of 1700 kilometers can be directly connected to ships.
The third time was after 13 century, when the Yuan Dynasty made Beijing its capital. In order to connect the north and south, the Yuan Dynasty did not bypass Luoyang, but used 10 years to excavate the "Luozhou River" and "Huitong River" successively, connecting the natural rivers and lakes between Tianjin and Qingjiang River in Jiangsu, and connecting Hangou and Jiangnan Canal south of Qingjiang River to Hangzhou. Between Beijing and Tianjin, the original canal has been abandoned and a new "Tonghui River" has been built. In this way, the new Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is more than 900 kilometers shorter than the Grand Canal that bypasses Luoyang.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal consists of artificial rivers and some rivers and lakes, and the whole journey can be divided into seven sections:
(1) Tonghui River: from Beijing downtown to Tongxian, connecting Wenyu River, Kunming Lake and Baihe River, dredging;
(2) North Canal: Tongxian to Tianjin, Tongxian to Tianjin, dug in the lower reaches of Chaobai River;
(3) South Canal: from Tianjin to Linqing, excavated from the lower reaches of Weihe River;
(4) Lu Canal: Linqing to Taierzhuang, using Wenshui and Sishui water sources, passing through natural lakes such as Dongping Lake, Nanyang Lake, Zhaoyang Lake and Weishan Lake along the way;
(5) Central Canal: Taierzhuang to Qingjiang;
(6) Li Canal: Qingjiang to Yangzhou and into the Yangtze River;
(7) Jiangnan Canal: Zhenjiang to Hangzhou.
As the traffic artery between the north and the south, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has played a great role in making money for half a day and knowing that this is the way to go. The navigation of the canal has promoted the rapid development of coastal cities.
Ren Jie Ming cheng
Qufu
Strolling through the Grand Canal in history, we can see historical figures standing proudly on both sides of the canal, as if examining the past, present and future of the world and the passers-by who come and go in a hurry on the Grand Canal.
To the east of the middle section of the Lu Canal, there is a small town Qufu, where stands a statue of Confucius, a thinker and educator in the Spring and Autumn Period. Confucius is the founder of Confucianism. In the second year after his death, Lu Aigong built Dacheng Hall in Qufu Que, the former residence of Confucius, to worship Confucius. There are houses of descendants of Confucius in Qufu, covering an area of more than 200 mu, all of which are houses of Confucius. On the shore of Surabaya, just outside the north of the city, there is a forest of Confucius, which is the cemetery of Confucius and his descendants. Confucius Temple, Confucius House and Confucius Surin are also called "Three Holes", which are well-known at home and abroad.
Peixian county
In the southern section of the Lu Canal, there is a Pei county at the junction of Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. It is the starting place of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and the hometown and mausoleum of Liu Bang and his ministers Xiao He, Lu Wan, Zhou Bo, Cao Can, Fan Kuai and Xia Houying.
Xuzhou
Xuzhou, located at the hub of the central canal, has become a battleground for military strategists because of its dangerous natural situation and very important geographical position. At the foot of Lion Mountain in Xuzhou, 1984 excavated a pit of Terracotta Warriors and Horses in the Western Han Dynasty. In Mu Ran, there are more than 4,000 terracotta warriors and horses in the pit, standing upright, forming a large-scale army array with complete infantry and cavalry, and also commanding the traffic array. It is an artistic portrayal of the ancient battlefield in Xuzhou.
Huaian
Huaian, the northernmost part of the Canal, is the entrance to the Grand Canal. Italian traveler Kyle Poirot was here in the Yuan Dynasty. From today's West Gate of Huai 'an, along the east embankment of Daoli Canal to the lower embankment of He Xia Guzhen Wharf, a winding avenue extends between houses, vegetable fields and ponds. Among the green trees at the end of the avenue is a small courtyard surrounded by white brick walls. This is the former residence of Wu Cheng'en, a great writer in Ming Dynasty and the author of The Journey to the West, a ghost novel.
Yangzhou
Yangzhou, as the center of the Grand Canal, was once a place where merchants gathered. There are both rich people who "cross the crane to Yangzhou" and literati who "bid farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower in the West and return the fireworks to Yangzhou in March". Meng Haoran, Wang Changling, Li Bai, Gao Shi, Du Fu, Liu Yuxi, Li Shen, Bai Juyi and Du Mu. Everyone has been to Yangzhou, and they have written hundreds of poems praising the beautiful scenery and bustling streets of Yangzhou.