Mandarin Da Yun He, the
Grand Canal, it is a series of
waterways that links the Chekiang province to
Beijing. At nearly 1,100 miles, it is the longest man-made
waterway in the world, however, not its entire length is man-made as it intercepts some
rivers. It started over two millenia ago, before the
Qin Dynasty in around 400BC, as a
grain transportation route from the rich
Yellow River Valley to the large populations and armies in Northern
China.
The Sui Dynasty added great lengths of waterways to the canal. Further renovations were made in the Yuan Dynasty (Mongol), Ming Dynasty and under the Communists. Since most rivers in China flowed in laterally from west to east, the Grand Canal was needed to span the country north to south. Formerly a major transportation route, its use as a way to feed the North has been largely abandoned. However, it is still important in local transportation. It has also been made an irrigation system for the double cropping of rice.