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Grand Canal (China) facts for kids

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Grand Canal of China
280pp
Watercraft moving across the Grand Canal of China in Suzhou
Specifications
Length 1,794 km (1,115 miles)
History
Construction began Sui dynasty
Geography
Start point Beijing
End point Hangzhou
Connects to Hai River, Yellow River, Huai River, Yangzi River, Qiantang River
Official name: The Grand Canal
Type: Cultural
Criteria: i, iii, iv, vi
Designated: 2014 (38th session)
Reference #: 1443
State Party: China
Region: Asia-Pacific
Grand Canal
Grand Canal (Chinese characters).svg
"Grand Canal" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Simplified Chinese 大运河
Traditional Chinese 大運河
Literal meaning "Great Transport River"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Dà Yùnhé
Wade–Giles Ta4 Yün4-he2
Wu
Romanization Du Yun Ghu
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping Daai6 Wan6 Ho4
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ Tāi-ūn-hô
Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
Simplified Chinese 京杭大运河
Traditional Chinese 京杭大運河
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Jīng-Háng Dà Yùnhé
Wade–Giles Ching1-Hang2 Ta4 Yün4-he2
Wu
Romanization Cin On Du Yun Ghu
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping Ging1 Hong4 Daai6 Wan6 Ho4
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ Kiaⁿ-hâng-tāi-ūn-hô
Grand-Canal
Courses of the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal or Dayunhe or Jing–Hang Grand Canal (Chinese: 京杭大运河; pinyin: Jīng-Háng Dà Yùnhé; lit. 'Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal') is the longest and oldest canal and artificial river in the world.

It starts in Beijing; passes through Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang; and ends in Hangzhou.

It connects China's two longest rivers: the Yellow River and the Yangzi.

The oldest parts of the canal were built during the 5th century BC.

The Sui dynasty (581–618 AD) added some other parts. Between 1271–1633, the Yuan dynasty (through Guo Shoujing and others) and the Ming dynasty improved it and built parts to direct water to Beijing.

The total length is 1,776 km (1,104 mi). Its greatest height is 42 m (138 ft) near the Shandong mountains.

Song Dynasty (960–1279) engineer Qiao Weiyue invented the pound lock in the 10th century. This allowed ships to travel higher and lower through the canal.

The canal amazed many people throughout history including Japanese monk Ennin (794–864), Persian historian Rashid al-Din (1247–1318), Korean official Choe Bu (1454–1504), and Italian missionary Matteo Ricci (1552–1610).

Historically, flooding of the Yellow River threatened to break the canal. During wartime the canal was even used as a weapon: the dikes of the Yellow River were sometimes broken to flood the enemy troops. But this caused disasters and hurt the economy.

The Canal has greatly improved China's economy and increased trade between the north and south. It is still used heavily to this day.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gran Canal de China para niños

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