Ruins of the Ancient Han Canal

Ruins of the Ancient Han Canal

The ruins of the Ancient Han Canal are a Yangzhou municipal-level cultural heritage site.

Ruins of the Ancient Han Canal

Now a municipal-level cultural heritage site, it is located in the northern part of the city, stretching from Luosiwan Bridge to Huangjin Dam. Also known as the Han River, Hanming Canal, or Central Freshwater Canal. In the 34th year of King Jing of Zhou (486 BC), during the late Spring and Autumn period, King Fuchai of Wu excavated it under the Han City to connect the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. It is China’s earliest artificial canal and also the earliest section of the ancient Grand Canal. The current section from Luosiwan Bridge to Huangjin Dam, oriented east-west, is part of the Ancient Han Canal ruins, approximately 1,450 meters long and 50–60 meters wide, with silt accumulation layers on both sides about 20–25 meters thick, and the current canal bed in the middle being around 10 meters wide. A bridge called the “Han Canal Bridge” spans the waterway in the middle section, and there used to be a King Temple to the south of the bridge.

Further reading:

· The First to Third Batches of Yangzhou Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Sites