Qingjiang Sluice

Qingjiang Sluice

In the eighth year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1410), Chen Xuan excavated the Qingjiangpu area and built four sluices, one of which was the Qingjiang Sluice.

Also known as the Qingjiang Sluice, it has a history of over 600 years and is the best-preserved stonework structure on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, hailed as a "masterpiece in the architectural history of ancient canals."

Located in Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an City, the Qingjiang Sluice was first built in the early Ming Dynasty. It was used to control the flow of the Li Canal and regulate water levels, easing the rapid river current to allow grain transport boats to pass smoothly.

The Qingjiang Sluice is the only well-preserved ancient sluice remaining on the Grand Canal and is an important heritage site of the World Heritage–listed China Grand Canal.

Locals in Qingjiangpu refer to the area around the Qingjiang Sluice as "Dazhamen" (Big Sluice Gate). The area is lined with shops and bustling with people. As recorded in Zhang Xuhou’s Huaiyin Fengtu Ji (Notes on the Local Customs of Huaiyin): “The deep, wide sluice pool beneath the gate dazzles the eye.” In May, there are dragon boat races; in July, river lanterns are released—a scene of prosperity unmatched elsewhere. Fishing boats gather in the sluice pool like a market, yielding delicacies such as crabs that climb the sluice and mandarin fish. Nets bring bountiful catches, which restaurants eagerly compete to buy.

Chen Xuan (1365–1433), courtesy name Yanchun, was a native of Hefei (modern-day Hefei, Anhui). He was a military general and hydraulic engineering expert of the Ming Dynasty, and a key figure in establishing the grain transport system of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In his early years, Chen Xuan participated in the Ming army's campaigns to pacify the southwest. He served successively as the Joint Commander of the Right Guard in Chengdu, the Joint Commander of the Sichuan Expeditionary Command, and the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army Command. During the Jingnan Campaign, he led naval forces to defect to the Yongle Emperor and was appointed as a Martial Meritorious Official of the Pacifying Heaven Vanguard and granted the title of Marquis of Pingjiang.

Chen Xuan served through the Hongwu, Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, and Xuande reigns. Starting in the first year of the Yongle reign (1403), he held the post of Grand Canal Transport Commander-in-Chief... More details about Chen Xuan ++