Map of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal

Author: Wang Guoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: During the early Ming Dynasty, the capital was established in Nanjing, and a small amount of military provisions in the north were still transported by sea. By the 24th year of Hongwu (1391), the Yellow River burst its banks in Anyang County, Henan, splitting into two branches: the northern branch flowed northeast to Anshan in Jining, breaching the Grand Canal and causing the Huitong River to silt up and become impassable. During the Yongle era, the Ming Emperor wanted to move the capital to Beijing. In the 9th year of Yongle (1411), Chief Minister of the Ministry of Works Song Li was ordered to reopen the Huitong River. Song Li adopted the strategy of an elderly man from Wenshang, Bai Ying, to build the Daicun Dam in Dongping, diverting the Wen River south into the Nanwang Lake in Wenshang,; he also dug a new river from Yuankou in Wenshang east of the old river, north to Shazhou Bay in Shouzhang, connecting it to the old river; he installed 38 weirs, set up water cisterns (reservoirs for water supply to the canal) on the east bank and sluice gates on the west bank. The river and canal routes were made navigable, and sea transport was abolished. Four million metric tons of grain were transported annually through this route. After Song Li, Chen Xuan of Pingjiang Mansion took over the management of the canal. He established the system of river transport replacing sea transport and grain transport, as well as the management regulations for the Grand Canal. He served in the transport administration for over 20 years, with most of his facilities located in Huainan. From the 13th to 14th year of Yongle (1415–1416), the old sandy river of Qingjiangpu was opened, and the four Qingjiang sluices and five An'an dams were built. From Huai to Linqing, 47 additional sluices were added, and from Huai to Tongzhou, 568 rest stops were set up, with shallow-dredging laborers to maintain shallow waters and navigation. The Baita River in Yangzhou was also opened for transport, and grain transport was changed from branch transport to exchange transport, with granaries set up along the river.
[Development and Storage of Water Sources for the Canal in the Qing Dynasty] From Hangzhou to the Yangtze River, from south to north, Hangzhou sometimes had insufficient water. During the Tang and Song dynasties, water from Linping Lake and West Lake was diverted to the canal. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, water from the Xiaoxi River was diverted to aid the canal. Taihu Lake was once abundant in water, but north of Changzhou, water was often scarce. Throughout history, Xue Lake (now part of Jiangsu) was used to store water for the canal until the late Qing Dynasty. In northern Jiangsu, after the opening of the Ju River Canal, water from the Mu River, Yi River, and other rivers was diverted to the canal. Although there were many lakes, only Luoma Lake was used as a water cistern, and it gradually silted up. During the Qing Dynasty, the canal relied on Weishan Lake as a water cistern, with lakes like Nanyang and Dushan assisting.
The Huitong River in Shandong is commonly known as the Quan River or the Sluice River. "Quan River" refers to its water source, while "Sluice River" refers to its control mechanisms. The Wen and Si rivers draw water from springs on the western slopes of mountains like Taihang. Historical records from the Ming and Qing dynasties mention varying numbers of springs, from over 400 to over 200. The Si River is famous for its springs, which flow into the Huitong River, but some also flow directly into the Wen, Si, or Grand Canal. The river is equipped with many sluices: 31 during the Yuan Dynasty and 38 during the Ming Dynasty, with relatively strict management. North of Jining, lakes stretch out in the ancient Maoshan marsh, with remnants of the Liangshan and Zhangze lakes. Any reservoir that can store water for the canal is called a water cistern, while one that only stores excess canal water without further use is called a water trench. This practice was continued in the Qing Dynasty.
The South Canal and the North Canal are both natural river channels with few facilities on them. The South Canal runs from Linqing to Tianjin and was originally the lower reaches of the Wei River. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Zhang River and the Wei River sometimes merged and sometimes separated. When they merged, the water level often rose and caused floods. The North Canal refers to the section from Tianjin to Tongzhou, with its upper reaches being the Chaobai River, which was also prone to flooding. Due to the wide and shallow river, it was difficult to build cross-river sluices or dams. When the water level was high, flood control sluices or dams were installed.
The Tonghui Canal In the Yuan Dynasty, it originated from springs in Baifu, Changping, and others to the west, passed through Wonshan Lake (now Kunming Lake), and merged with the Yujian Spring water to enter the capital city (now Beijing). It used Jishuitan (now Shichahai) as the dock, flowing south from Jishuitan out of the city, turning east to Tongzhou and entering the Bai River. Sluices and dams were set up along the route. In the Ming Dynasty, the southern section of Jishuitan was enclosed within the palace walls, making it unable to...