Ancient Bianhe River Cultural Site

Ancient Bianhe River Cultural Site

The Ancient Bianhe River Cultural Site is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ancient Bianhe River Cultural Site

The Ancient Bianhe River was excavated in the first year of the Daye era during the Sui Dynasty. It was divided into the Northern Bianhe and the Southern Bianhe. The Bianhe River site in Sihong is part of the Southern Bianhe, located in the lower reaches of the Southern Bianhe, and was also referred to as the Tongji Canal, Bian River, or Bian Canal at the time. With a total length of 650 kilometers, it originated from Banzhu in Xingyang, Henan, exited the Yellow River, passed through Sihong, and flowed into the Huai River at Xuyi. The Tongji Canal connected the Yellow River and the Huai River, linking Xi'an to Yangzhou, serving as the largest transportation artery of the time. It remained navigable for 720 years from the Sui and Tang dynasties through the Jin and Yuan dynasties, but after frequent flooding of the Yellow River and sediment blockages, it became silted up during the Yuan Dynasty. The Sihong section of the Tongji Canal is 31 kilometers long and is the most well-preserved. Historical sites along the canal include the Tang and Song dynasty garden ruins in Qingyang Town, the Sui dynasty Mahuhu City ruins, and the Qing dynasty North City Well in Chenwei Township. In 2009, it was included with the Grand Canal cultural heritage sites in the application for UNESCO World Heritage status.