Lingqu Canal

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Lingqu Canal

The Magic Channel ( Chinese  靈渠  /  灵渠 , Pinyin Ling Qu  - "Soul channel") is a 32 km long, 4.5 m wide and 1 m deep channel in the circle Xing'an in Guilin from the time of Qin Shihuangdis .

Construction began in 223 BC. BC, the canal system was completed around the 1st century . In uneven terrain, the canal leads along the contour lines of a mountain saddle. The name expresses a certain awe of the ancient Chinese for the canal (supposedly blue snakes as messengers of a dragon).

The canal connects two oppositely flowing rivers, the Xiang Jiang , which flows north from Haiyangshan, and the Li Jiang, which flows south . In all likelihood, this resulted in an uninterrupted transport route from the Yangtze River via the Xiang, Magic Canal, Li and the West River down to today's Canton .

The two rivers Xiang and Li first had to be made navigable through canal works (including reducing the slope of the Xiang). Nor could they just be linked directly to one another. This was solved with an artificial mound in the shape of a snout that divided the Xiang. In addition, some of the water was diverted through several overflow channels, thus further reducing the flow force in the canal. Ultimately, only a third of the Xiang water was available for the canal. The magic channel was bordered on both sides by dams and stone walls and could be crossed on bridges.

The canal was planned by the inspector Shi Lu and initially served to supply the troops with grain during the attack of the emperor Qin Shihuangdi on the hundred tribes of the Yue in what is now Guangdong (219 BC, commanders (Zhao) Tuo and Tu Zhu). After the fall of the Han dynasty, it remained in use until today , with brief interruptions . Over the centuries it was equipped with folding weirs and locks .

The canal has been on the list of monuments of the People's Republic of China (3-54) since 1988 .

Individual evidence

  1. Archived copy ( memento of the original dated August 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chinaculture.org

Coordinates: 25 ° 35 ′ 56.2 ″  N , 110 ° 41 ′ 23.4 ″  E