The Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it was conceived as a unified means of communication for the Empire for the first time in the 7th century AD (Sui dynasty). This led to a series of gigantic construction sites, creating the world’s largest and most extensive civil engineering project prior to the Industrial Revolution. It formed the backbone of the Empire’s inland communication system, transporting grain and strategic raw materials, and supplying rice to feed the population. By the 13th century it consisted of more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways, linking five of China’s main river basins. It has played an important role in ensuring the country’s economic prosperity and stability and is still in use today as a major means of communication.
Criteria for inclusion as a World Heritage Site
| # | ||
|---|---|---|
| i | To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. | All |
| iii | To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. | All |
| iv | To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. | All |
| vi | To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). | All |
Nearby
Sites
| Name | Since | Distance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuncheng Salt Lake | 2019 | 136km | site_ao | ||
| Huaqing Pools | 2019 | 300.4km | site_ao | ||
| Levitating Monks Fly Above This Wind Chamber in China | 2017 | 47.4km | site_ao | ||
| This Terrifying Glass Bridge Appears to Break as You Step On It | 2017 | 249.9km | site_ao | ||
| Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” | 2010 | 60.8km | site_whs | ||
| Yin Xu | 2006 | 231km | site_whs | ||
| Longmen Grottoes | 2000 | 25.3km | site_whs | ||
| Ancient City of Ping Yao | 1997 | 280.2km | site_whs | ||
| Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains | 1994 | 282.5km | site_whs | ||
| Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor | 1987 | 310.4km | site_whs |
About the source: UNESCO
Within UNESCO's broad remit, this specialised agency of the UN works towards international cooperation agreements to secure the world's cultural and natural heritage, designating venues of exceptional value as World Heritage Sites.