Editing Grand Canal (China) (section)

==Uses==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2021}}

=== Transportation ===
[[File:Pekin hutong i fragment Wielkiego Kanalu Chinskiego 05.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The Grand Canal at its northern terminus at Houhai in Beijing.]]

From the Tang to Qing dynasties, the Grand Canal served as the main artery between northern and southern China and was essential for the transport of grain to Beijing. Although it was mainly used for shipping grain, it also transported other commodities and the corridor along the canal developed into an important economic belt. Records show that, at its height, every year more than 8,000 boats<ref>''China at War: An Encyclopedia'' {{ISBN|978-1-598-84415-3}} p. 141</ref> transported four to six million [[Chinese units of measurement#Mass|dan]] (240,000–360,000 metric tons) of grain. The convenience of transport also enabled rulers to lead inspection tours to southern China. In the Qing dynasty, the [[Kangxi Emperor|Kangxi]] and [[Qianlong Emperor|Qianlong]] emperors made twelve trips to the south, on all occasions but one reaching Hangzhou.

The Grand Canal also enabled cultural exchange and political integration to occur between the north and south of China. The canal even made a distinct impression on some of China's early European visitors. [[Marco Polo]] recounted the Grand Canal's arched bridges as well as the warehouses and prosperous trade of its cities in the 13th century. The famous Roman Catholic missionary [[Matteo Ricci]] traveled from Nanjing to Beijing along the canal at the end of the 16th century.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the canal has been used primarily to transport vast amounts of bulk goods such as bricks, gravel, sand, diesel, and coal. The Jianbi ship locks on the Yangtze are currently handling some 75,000,000 metric tons each year, and the Li Canal is forecast to reach 100,000,000 metric tons in the next few years. When first constructed, the canal served as a major source of transportation, linking northern and southern China. With the introduction of [[Expressways of China|expressways]], [[Rail transport in China|railways]] and [[High-speed rail in China|high speed railways]] in modern China, passenger travel on the canal became far less common.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tsao|first=R.|date=2016|title=The Grand Canal of China |journal=Chinese American Forum|volume=32|issue=2|pages=31–34|via=EBSCOhost}}</ref>

Currently, ships can only travel up to [[Jining]]. The section from Jining to Beijing is not available for transport due to the silt deposit buildup from the Yellow River and lack of water sources.<ref>{{cite web |title=京杭运河 |url=http://www.mwr.gov.cn/szs/slgc/zmfhgc/201612/t20161229_783406.html |website=Ministry of Water Sources |access-date=5 March 2019 |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306120053/http://www.mwr.gov.cn/szs/slgc/zmfhgc/201612/t20161229_783406.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are plans for restoring transportation up to [[Tai'an]].<ref>{{cite news |title=京杭运河山东泰安段预计2019年初全面复航 |url=http://sd.people.com.cn/n2/2017/1104/c166192-30887187.html |access-date=5 March 2019 |agency=Dazhong Ribao |publisher=people.com.cn |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044622/http://sd.people.com.cn/n2/2017/1104/c166192-30887187.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===South-North Water Transfer Project===

[[File:South–North Water Transfer Project Central route starting point taocha.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[South–North Water Transfer Project]] central route starting point in [[Nanyang, Henan|Nanyang]]. Looking "upstream", toward the [[Danjiangkou Reservoir]], from which the water is coming.]]
The Grand Canal has been upgraded to serve as the Eastern Route of the [[South-North Water Transfer Project]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Quenching the Thirsty Dragon: The South-North Water Transfer Project – Old Plumbing for New China? |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/quenching-the-thirsty-dragon-the-south-north-water-transfer-project-old-plumbing-for-new |work=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]] |access-date=2021-12-27 |archive-date=2021-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227135146/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/quenching-the-thirsty-dragon-the-south-north-water-transfer-project-old-plumbing-for-new |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New channel in huge south-north water transfer project to bring relief to parched Beijing |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1612035/new-stage-huge-south-north-water-transfer-project-channel-bring-relief |work=[[South China Morning Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sohu.com/a/737284857_121687414 | title=动画丨1分钟，全面了解南水北调东线之水_工程_环境_江苏 | website=[[Sohu]] | access-date=2024-07-05 | archive-date=2024-07-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705181843/https://www.sohu.com/a/737284857_121687414 | url-status=live }}</ref> Additional water is pumped into the canal from the Yangtze at [[Jiangdu]] near Yangzhou using a {{convert|400|m3/s|abbr=on}} pumping station.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://m.news.cctv.com/2019/06/22/ARTIeIrcpLsn2Sn4H04VAKAF190622.shtml |title=南水北调东线北延应急试通水成功 首次把长江水输向天津、河北 |accessdate=2019-06-22 |archive-date=2020-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230090745/http://m.news.cctv.com/2019/06/22/ARTIeIrcpLsn2Sn4H04VAKAF190622.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> and repumped through 23 stations until it reaches the watershed at Nanwang. Afterwards the water flows by gravity, one secondary canal going to the Shandong peninsula,<ref>{{cite web |author=段亚英 |url=http://www.china.org.cn/china/2018-03/29/content_50767319_2.htm |title=Diversion project's eastern route transfers 2.5 bln cubic meters of water |publisher=China.org.cn |date=2018-03-29 |accessdate=2022-08-20 |archive-date=2021-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121001901/http://www.china.org.cn/china/2018-03/29/content_50767319_2.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and the main canal bypasses the Yellow River through 7.9 km tunnels<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.csnwd.com.cn/gcjs/dxgc/ | title=中国南水北调集团有限公司 }}</ref> and flows through a modified route into reservoirs in Tianjin.<ref name="Costly drops">{{cite news|title=Desalination: Costly drops|url=https://www.economist.com/news/china/21571437-removing-salt-seawater-might-help-slake-some-northern-chinas-thirst-it-comes-high|publisher=The Economist|access-date=12 February 2013|date=9 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211184642/http://www.economist.com/news/china/21571437-removing-salt-seawater-might-help-slake-some-northern-chinas-thirst-it-comes-high|archive-date=2013-02-11|url-status=live}}</ref>  The extra waterflow has allowed the start of several projects to reestablish shipping in the northern half of the Grand Canal.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://m.ofweek.com/smartcity/2023-06/ART-201800-8480-30600472.html | title=耗资136亿，山东新增一条超级入海通道 – OFweek智慧城市网 | access-date=2024-07-05 | archive-date=2024-07-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705181846/https://m.ofweek.com/smartcity/2023-06/ART-201800-8480-30600472.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gongshunews.com/content/2023-07/18/content_9577077.html | title=意不意外？千年大运河也许还有"第二春"，因为浙江干了这件事 – 拱墅新闻网 | access-date=2024-07-05 | archive-date=2024-07-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705181849/https://www.gongshunews.com/content/2023-07/18/content_9577077.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbtnews.com.cn/2019/0510/300272.shtml | title=《大运河文化保护传承利用规划纲要》出台 明确不搞大开发_垂直频道文旅中心旅游频道_北京商报_财经传媒集团 | access-date=2024-07-05 | archive-date=2024-07-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705181849/https://www.bbtnews.com.cn/2019/0510/300272.shtml | url-status=live }}</ref>