Ancient Canal Towpath

Canal Towpath

The Canal Towpath is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Jiangsu Province.

The ancient canal towpath in Wujiang District stretches approximately 1,800 meters in total. Originally built during the Tang Dynasty and reconstructed during the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty, it is also known as the "Zhi Zheng Stone Embankment." It underwent multiple renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the massive bluestones that make up the existing revetment are relics from the Yuan Dynasty.

The Wujiang Canal Towpath is located east of the Wujiang Bus Station. A local villager surnamed Wang said that this area was once overgrown with oleanders and weeds, with no paths or people around. But just a few days ago, some workers came and got busy clearing the weeds, leaving behind a stretch of leveled land about 200 meters long and 5 meters wide.

This is the ancient towpath. Weathered massive bluestones stretch far into the distance. The villager dramatically struck a pose imitating a boat-towing worker, saying that hundreds of years ago, those heavy boats relied on such laborious efforts by the towpath workers to move forward. As he spoke, he bent down and added, “You have to lower your body to gain strength.”

History may not repeat itself, but the bumps and grooves on the bluestone slabs do spark the imagination — those indentations were likely caused by the tough toes of the boat-towers pressing through the stones; those shiny patches might have been soaked with the sweat of countless towpath workers.

Xu Fangping, Deputy Section Chief of the Wujiang Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Press and Publication, explained that the Suzhou section of the Grand Canal spans over 80 kilometers, more than half of which lies within Wujiang. What makes the locals especially proud is that this ancient towpath in Wujiang is the only remaining ancient towpath site along the Jiangnan Canal. “In the past, towpaths ran along the canal; now, this is the only one left.”

Xu Fangping said that after repeated deliberation, research, and review, Wujiang has begun the first phase of restoration work. The project will restore this 1,500-meter-long, over 600-year-old ancient towpath. He said that the 200-meter section from Sanshan Bridge to the north end of Nan Qixing Bridge will be completed before the Spring Festival. The rest will proceed as planned.

“We are not only adding a significant asset to the bid for the Grand Canal’s World Heritage status, but also inspiring people today to keep moving forward, just like the towpath workers did,” Xu Fangping said.

The southern “Great Wall on Water”: A Glorious Legacy

Time flows endlessly, and landscapes shift. Along the Grand Canal that runs from north to south, many historic remnants such as post stations, bridges, and towpaths have either lost their former glory or faded into obscurity with the passage of time. Only this stretch in Wujiang quietly preserves the marks of history amid ongoing prosperity.

This place was once grandly known as the “Nine-Li Stone Embankment.” Serving as both a riverbank and a towpath, it also functioned as a postal road, and historically was one of the key transport routes for both land and water. The ancient towpath once had nine stone bridges with three to seven arches, but only three remain today. The southernmost Sanshan Bridge is now dilapidated, with only the bridge structure and bluestone slabs left — so much so that even many locals no longer know its name.

Taihu New Town (Songling Subdistrict): The administrative region of Songling Subdistrict consists of ten neighborhood committees from the former Songling Town: Xitang, Beimen, Luxiang Village 3, Luxiang Village 2, Dongmen, Chengzhong, Shili, Xiyuanwei, Meishi, and Xiangtai, as well as five village committees: Nanshe, Jiangxin, Nanliu, Second Fisheries, and Qiangang. It also includes nine neighborhood committees from the former Binhu Subdistrict: Aolin Qinghua, Shuixiang, Xinyuan, Suhe, Hubin Huacheng, Longhe, Shuixiu, Changban, and Dongmei, and seven village committees: Changan, Ludang, Fishing, Liantuan, Gaoxin, Wumo, and Meili. The office of Songling Subdistrict is located within the Hubin Huacheng Neighborhood Committee, at No. 96 Luxiang South Road... More details about Taihu New Town (Songling Subdistrict)++

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· Fourth Batch of Cultural Heritage Conservation Units of Jiangsu Province