Ruins of the Jinkou Sluice

Ruins of the Jinkou Sluice

The Jinkou Sluice ruins are a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Jinkou Sluice is located in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. It was the first sluice on the Jiangnan Canal, serving as a crucial node for grain transport and a major transportation hub. In use from the Tang Dynasty through the Qing Dynasty, it was buried under a road during the Republican era. Between 2011 and 2012, archaeological excavations uncovered remnants of a Tang Dynasty weir (sluice), as well as structures from the Northern Song to the Ming and Qing Dynasties including the eastern section of the Jinkou Sluice, the canal channel, docks, roads, and a stele pavilion. Artifacts unearthed ranged from Tang to Republican-era ceramics for daily use and ritual offerings, among which two blue-and-white incense burners from the Yuan Dynasty are particularly precious. The Jinkou Sluice ruins represent one of the finest examples of the Grand Canal’s cultural heritage and hold significant historical and cultural value.

In 2019, the Jinkou Sluice ruins were included in the eighth batch of protected cultural heritage sites of Jiangsu Province.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province