West Zhejiang Canal

West Zhejiang Canal

The West Zhejiang Canal in Hangzhou, formerly known as the Jiang Canal, is the southern section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It starts from Zhenjiang in Jiangsu to the north, runs along the eastern shore of Taihu Lake to Suzhou in Jiangsu, and extends to Hangzhou in Zhejiang to the south. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (3rd century BC), due to the low-lying terrain between the Yangtze River and the Qiantang River and the dense network of rivers and lakes, canals connecting these water bodies had already appeared. Later, through excavation and dredging across generations, the Jiangnan Canal took initial shape. In the sixth year of the Daye era (610 AD) during the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, the ancient canal route south of the Yangtze River was re-excavated and widened, forming the present-day Jiangnan Canal.

The Jiangnan Canal, together with the Tongji Canal and Yongji Canal built during the Sui Dynasty, connects the Qiantang River with the Yangtze River, Huai River, Yellow River, and Hai River, forming a Grand Canal centered around Luoyang that fans out northeastward and southeastward. Through continuous renovation and management, the current Jiangnan Canal enters Zhejiang from southern Jiangsu and is divided into three routes: east, central, and west.

The eastern route follows the ancient canal path, running from Pingwang through Jiaxing, Shimen, Chongfu, Tangxi, and Wulin Tou to Hangzhou;

The central route starts from Pingwang, passes through Wuzhen, Lianshi, and Xinsi in Zhejiang, continues through Tangxi and Wulin Tou, and reaches Hangzhou;

The western route enters Zhejiang from Zhenze in Jiangsu, passing through Nanxun, Huzhou, Linghu, Deqing, and Wulin Tou before arriving in Hangzhou.

All three routes are navigable for both passenger and cargo vessels. Calculated based on the length of the eastern route, the total length is 323.8 kilometers. Most of the waterway has a depth of 2 meters and a bottom width of 20 meters. With calm currents and abundant flow, it is the busiest shipping channel of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In the 1980s, a ship lock was constructed at Sanbao in Hangzhou, and a connectivity project between the Jiangnan Canal and the Qiantang River was developed, linking it to the Hangzhou–Ningbo Canal via the Qiantang River, further enhancing its comprehensive functions including shipping, irrigation, flood control and drainage, domestic water supply, aquaculture, and tourism resources.