Imperial Canal
| Imperial Canal 大 运河 |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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| Imperial Canal near Suzhou , 2005 |
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| National territory: |
 People's Republic of China
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | I, III, IV, VI |
| Reference No .: | 1443 |
| UNESCO region : | Asia and Pacific |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2014 (session 38) |
The Imperial Canal ( Chinese 大 運河 / 大 运河 , Pinyin Dà Yùnhé - "Great Canal", also 京 杭 大 運河 / 京 杭 大 运河 , Jīng Háng Dà Yùnhé - "Great Beijing-Hangzhou Canal") is the longest man-made waterway in the world . With a length of more than 1,800 kilometers and a width of up to 40 meters, it connected northern China ( Beijing ) with the fertile estuary of the Yangtze River ( Hangzhou ). It overcame a height difference of 42 meters, was 3 to 9 meters deep and is considered the masterpiece of hydraulic engineering in ancient China. In 2014, it was therefore recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
history
Individual parts of the canal were formed more than 2,400 years ago (end of the spring and autumn annals in Wu state), according to the Han Canal . The first artificial waterway in China is said to be from the 6th to 4th centuries BC. BC Hong Gou Canal . During the Qin and Han times , various canal projects were tackled, both in the interests of transport and irrigation.
Between 584 and 610 the Sui emperors (mainly Yangdi ) had a network of canals built that connected the capitals on the Huanghe and Wei He with the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and with Hangzhou in the south and with the region near what is now Beijing in the north. Emperor Yangdi himself drove a 65-mile fleet down from Luoyang to Jiangdu ( Yangzhou ) in 605 , causing food prices to skyrocket along his way.
Specifically, the Guangtongqu connected the capital Chang'an in 584 with the Wei He and Huanghe , the Tongjiqu (also Bianhe ) connected the area around Luoyang with the lower reaches of the Huaihe in 605 . From there the Shanyangdu 606 connected today's Huai'an with the Yangzi near Yangzhou , while the Jiangnanhe then connected Hangzhou in 610 . In the north, the Yongjiqu, built in 608/09, represented the connection between the capitals and the region around Beijing. During the Tang period , some extensions were added, for example the Guangjiqu near Huai'an 742.
Roads were built parallel to the canals and relay stations were set up at regular intervals, as reloading could never be avoided. In the vicinity of the capitals of Luoyang and Chang'an at the time, huge warehouses accommodated the flow of goods. Much of the goods shipped north were silk, grain, and later rice.
In addition to its function as a supply and trade route, the canal was of particular strategic importance for the transport of troops and supplies. In the late Tang period and thereafter , for example, a strong garrison was positioned in Xuzhou , which was supposed to prevent the local military commanders from exerting influence to the detriment of the dynasty.
With the invention of the lock by Qiao Weiyue in 984, the canals were gradually equipped with it. Previously, vertical drops (highest point of the Kaiserkanal: 42 meters above sea level) were overcome by slides or ramps, whereby the ships were often intentionally damaged and the cargo stolen. In addition, when it was dry, the operation of the slides had to be severely restricted.
When the Yuan dynasty founded their new capital, Dadu, in the area of today's Beijing in the 13th century , the Imperial Canal was extended up to there and partly re-routed (Tonghui Canal, Huitong Canal 1289). The old route was too long for the new requirements and no longer sufficiently navigable. At the same time, the sea route has been used since the 1280s to supply the capital and the north.
For more than 600 years, the canal was the most important supply artery for Beijing with grain (especially rice), but also with silk and other commercial goods. Most of the wood needed to build the Forbidden City was brought on the canal.
After the Yellow River had shifted its course to the south in 1855 , the canal was no longer navigable continuously and thus lost its importance. The abolition of the tax in kind system in 1901 resulted in a significant decrease in the volume of transport and a further loss of importance. In addition, canal shipping had serious competition with the Shandong Railway Line .
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Imperial Canal was partially repaired so that it can now be used as a regional shipping route and also as an irrigation canal. However, due to the seasonal lack of water in northern China and the resulting restricted navigability, it no longer plays a supraregional role.
course
Modern course
- Jiangnan Canal
- Li channel
- Zhong Canal
- Lu channel
- Southern Canal
- Northern Channel and Tonghui River
Historical course
- Jia Canal
- New Nanyang Canal
- Huitong Canal
- Jizhou Canal
- Duke Huans Canal
- Yilou Canal
literature
- Friedemann Berger: The Milky Way in the sky and the channel on earth. History, culture and the present on China’s Great Canal . Gustav Kiepenheuer, 1991, ISBN 3-378-00345-6
- Otto Franzius : The regulation of the Hwai Ho, the Kaiserkanals etc. , in: Die Bautechnik 11 (September 19, 1933), Issue 40, pp. 568-578
Web links
- private side with Kaiserkanal / Großer Kanal
- private page Am Kaiserkanal (picture gallery)
- Forum China on the Imperial Canal (private site)
Individual evidence
- ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: The Grand Canal. Retrieved April 17, 2020 .
Heritage: Great Wall of China (1987) | Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing ( Forbidden City ) and Shenyang (1987) | Mogao Grottoes (1987) | Qin Shihuangdis Mausoleum (1987) | Peking man's site in Zhoukoudian (1987) | Summer Residence and Eight Outer Temples near Chengde (1994) | Confucius Temple, Cemetery and Residence of the Kong Family in Qufu (1994) | Daoist shrines in the mountains of Wudang (1994) | Potala Palace (1994), Jokhang Temple (2000) and Norbulingka Palace (2001) | Lu Shan National Park (1996) | Lijiang Old Town (1997) | Old City of Pingyao (1997) | Classical Gardens of Suzhou (1997) | Yiheyuan Summer Palace (1998) | Temple of Heaven with imperial sacrificial altar in Beijing (1998) | Rock sculptures by Also (1999) | Mount Qingcheng Mountains and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (2000) | Xidi and Hongcun Villages (2000) | Longmen Grottoes (2000) | Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (2000) | Yungang Grottoes (2001) | Capitals and Tombs of the Ancient Kingdom of Koguryo (2004) | Historic Center of Macau (2005) | Yinxu (2006) | Diaolou towers and villages in Kaiping (2007) | Tulou loam buildings in Fujian (2008) | Wutai Shan (2009) | Historical Monuments of Dengfeng (2010) | Cultural Landscape West Lake near Hangzhou (2011) | Xanadu Site (2012) | Hani rice terraces in Yunnan (2013) | Silk Roads: The Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Road Network (2014) | Kaiserkanal (2014) | Tusi sites (2015) | Petroglyphs at Huashan and the Zuo Jiang River (2016) | Kulangsu: a Historic International Settlement (2017) | Liangzhu City Archaeological Ruins (2019)
Natural heritage: Jiuzhaigou Valley Landscape Park (1992) | Lime sinter terrace landscape Huanglong (1992) | Wulingyuan Landscape Park (1992) | Protection zones of the three parallel rivers of Yunnan (2003) | Sichuan Panda Nature Reserve (2006) | Karst landscapes in southern China (2007, 2014) | Sanqing Shan National Park (2008) | Danxia Shan at Shaoguan (2010) | Chengjiang Fossil Site (2012) | Tian Shan Mountains in Xinjiang (2013) | Shennongjia Forest Area (2016) | Qinghai Hoh Xil (2017) | Migratory bird sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea - Gulf of Bohai (Phase I) (2019)
Cultural / Natural Heritage: Tai Shan Mountain Region (1987) | Huang Shan Mountains (1990) | Mountain landscape of Emei Shan and Leshan Big Buddha (1996) | Wuyi Mountains (1999) | Fanjingshan (2018)
Coordinates: 30 ° 15 ′ 41 ″ N , 120 ° 13 ′ 26 ″ E