Eastern Zhejiang Canal
The Eastern Zhejiang or Zhedong Canal, also known as the HangzhouNingbo or Hangyong Canal, is a major canal connecting Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo in northern Zhejiang, China. It runs, connecting the Qiantang, Cao'e, and Yong watersheds with Hangzhou's terminus for the Grand Canal and Ningbo's ports on the East China Sea. Since 2013, it has been officially considered the southernmost section of the Grand Canal itself.
The terrain of this area of Zhejiang slopes down from mountains to the south to the coastal plain along Hangzhou Bay to the north. The oldest section of the present waterway was the Shanyin Canal constructed in Shaoxing by the Yue official Fan Li in the 5th century BC during the late Spring and Autumn period. Despite the need to create numerous locks and dams to allow boats to change levels at the various rivers crossed by the canal, the entire route was completed with the excavation of the Xixing Canal under the Jin official He Xun in the 3rd century AD.
The canal was an important artery of transport and supply during various periods of disunity in medieval China, notably under the Southern Song whose capital was at Lin'an within present-day Hangzhou. Despite its lesser importance under the Yuan, Ming, and Qing, the canal was kept navigable through the early modern period before being largely supplanted by railways and roads. Renovation of the canal began in 2002, providing navigability for modern barges except around Ningbo by 2009 and complete navigation of the entire canal by the end of 2013.
In November 2008, the Eastern Zhejiang Canal was added to the Grand Canal's nomination with the UNESCO World Heritage program as it served as an extension of the BeijingHangzhou Canal and provided an additional connection from the cities along the canal to Ningbo's ports and the Maritime Silk Road. In May 2013, the Eastern Zhejiang Canal was officially included as part of the Grand Canal within China and listed in the seventh group of Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. In 2014, it was inducted as a World Heritage Site alongside the BeijingHangzhou Grand Canal and the Sui and Tang Grand Canal.
Layout
The west end of the Eastern Zhejiang Canal is Xixing in Hangzhou's Binjiang District. After passing Xixing, entering Xiaoshan District, following by Qianqing, Keqiao District, the canal crosses the old Qianqing River. The canal then goes southeast, entering Yuecheng District and lies across Cao'e River. The section ranging from Xixing to Cao'e is also known as the Shaoshao Canal. After passing the Cao'e River, the canal enters Shangyu District and diverges to two branches. From Shangyantou on the east side of Cao'e River to Caoshu Bridge in Yuyao. The northerly Yuyu Canal connects it to the Yao River. From Cao'e River to Tongming Dam, the southerly branch known as the Forty Mile River flows into the Yao River and runs parallel to the Houxin and Shibali Rivers. The main stem of the canal then enters the natural river. The tributary developed in Zhangting is named the Ci River, and the branch formed in Gaoqiao in Ningbo is called the Xitang River. After passing the Yao and Fenghua Rivers, the two tributaries meet at Sanjiangkou area in Ningbo and create the Yong River. The confluence flows into the East China Sea from the east side of Zhaobaoshan in Zhenhai District. From west to east, the Ci River divides at Shazigang, the south side of Cicheng, connecting with the Yao River at the Xiaoxi Dam. After passing Huazi Gate, the Ci River is called the Zhongda River and enters Zhenhai District from Jiangbei District, finally flowing into the Yong River. The Xitang river travels eastward to Wangjing Gate in Ningbo, meeting the moat and water system in its old town and links to Fenghua River. The design of the parallel inner and outer tributaries is meant to avoid the influence of tides from the outer tributary and causes the flow to cease meandering and to continue straight downstream.History
Because of the abundant precipitation in Eastern Zhejiang Area, canal construction was relatively easy, though there are few records regarding the process of construction. The history of the Eastern Zhejiang Canal can be traced back to the Shanyin Canal during China's Spring and Autumn period. According to the Yuejue, it was begun by Fan Li during his time supervising the reconstruction of Shanyin's Dongguo Gate. From Dongguo Gate to Liantang in Shangyu District, the Shanyin Canal is in length.During the reign of Emperor Hui of Jin dynasty, due to the need for irrigation, the official He Xun supervised the construction of the Xixing Canal, from Xixing, the east shore of Qiantang River to Kuaiji City. From then on, this canal section, along with the channels east to Shangyu District, the natural waterways of Yao River and Yong River, constituted the Eastern Zhejiang Canal. During the Northern and Southern dynasties, under governmental and private management, the operation of the Eastern Zhejiang Canal was shaped. In the mid-Tang dynasty, because of the busy traffic along Jiangnan Canal, local officials of eastern Zhejiang were appointed to dredge the canal, increase water locks and dams, dig new waterways and dredge Jian Lake. Jian Lake thus became one important source of water to the canal.
The capital of the Southern Song dynasty was Lin'an. Because of the conflicts between Jurchen Jin and Chinese Song, the northern part of Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal disconnected from Jiangnan, and Eastern Zhejiang Canal and Jiangnan Canal became vital to Southern Song people. Additionally, because the Southern Song people thought highly of overseas trading, and Qingyuan Prefecture was an important port for international trades, the government particularly paid attention to the maintenance of the canal. In the early years of the Southern Song dynasty, Emperor Gaozong recruited laborers to reconstruct the Shaoxing and Yuyao sections. During the Southern Song dynasty, the Eastern Zhejiang Canal was restored several times, and its navigability was improved. According to Jiatai Kuaiji records, at that time the two canal sections in Xiaoshan County and Shangyu County could carry 200 vessels; the two canal sections in Shanyin County and Yao River could carry 500 vessels. At that time, the Eastern Zhejiang Canal was at its acme in respect of navigability and prosperity.
During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the governmental repair works and preservation of the Eastern Zhejiang Canal were still ongoing, which retained its navigability, though it was not as prosperous as in the Southern Song dynasty. In the Ming dynasty, the natural environment in the Eastern Zhejiang changed. Qianqing River, previously an obstruction to the Eastern Zhejiang Canal, was blocked, and its north and south weirs were dismantled so there was no obstruction to the channel between Xiaoshan and Cao'e. With the construction of seawalls and the formation of tidal flats in Zhejiang, a water system with lakes densely covering the regions along the canal was developed. In the Qing dynasty, the Eastern Zhejiang Canal gradually lessened in importance; many courier stations along the canal were removed or combined with other stations. According to the records of Huang Zongxi, there were only dozens of larger-scale vessels serving the Eastern Zhejiang Canal in Qing dynasty, not comparable to the hundreds of vessels in the Southern Song dynasty. Particularly in the late Qing dynasty, with the emergence of steamships and the Xiaoshan-Ningbo Railway, the Eastern Zhejiang Canal was gradually replaced. After the Chinese Communist Revolution, the Eastern Zhejiang Canal was renovated several times. The channels were dredged and new facilities were built to facilitate transportation and irrigation.
At the end of the 20th century, due to the development of Ningbo port, the transportation cost increased, prompting the reconstruction of the Eastern Zhejiang Canal to be included on the political agenda. In 2009, the reconstruction of the Eastern Zhejiang Canal finished.