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Ancient Grand Canal of Gaoyou

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The ancient canal connecting the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River. It was dug between 486 and 484 BCE by King Fuchai of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period. Starting from the Yangtze River south of Han City (present-day Yangzhou), it runs north through Fanliang Lake (now near Gaoyou), then turns northeast into Sheyang Lake, and continues northwest through Huai'an to reach the Huaihe River. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the route was modified westward to take a straighter path—Fanliang Lake was directly connected northward via Jinhu and Baima Lakes, eventually flowing into the Huaihe River. In the Yonghe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, southern sections could no longer draw water from the river, so water was redirected from present-day Yizheng. In the first year of the Daye era (605) during the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang dug the Tongji Canal and also reconstructed the Hangou Canal from Shanyang to Jiangdu, entering the Yangtze River. This linked the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, making it an important part of the Sui Dynasty’s Grand Canal.

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The Ancient Canal

An ancient canal connecting the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River. It was dug between 486 and 484 BCE by King Fuchai of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period. Starting from the Yangtze River south of Han City (present-day Yangzhou), it runs north through Fanliang Lake (now near Gaoyou), then turns northeast into Sheyang Lake, and continues northwest through Huai'an to reach the Huaihe River. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the route was modified westward to take a straighter path—Fanliang Lake was directly connected northward via Jinhu and Baima Lakes, eventually flowing into the Huaihe River. In the Yonghe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, southern sections could no longer draw water from the river, so water was redirected from present-day Yizheng. In the first year of the Daye era (605) during the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang dug the Tongji Canal and also reconstructed the Hangou Canal from Shanyang to Jiangdu, entering the Yangtze River. This linked the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, making it an important part of the Sui Dynasty’s Grand Canal.

The stone pillars at the bend of the ancient canal are covered with deep grooves worn by boatmen pulling ropes in ancient times. “Mist-Shrouded Willows Along Hangou” is one of the Eight Scenic Views of Ancient Qin You. In ancient times, the Gaoyou section of the Hangou Canal offered captivating scenery, with rows of weeping willows lining both banks, their myriad branches swaying in the breeze like mist and smoke.