The Tanpeng Ancient Canal

The Tanpeng Ancient Canal

The Tanpeng Ancient Canal is located on the Jiangshan Peninsula in Fangchenggang City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and is an important part of the Jiangshan Peninsula scenic area. Also known as the "Heavenly Might Remote Canal" or "Immortals' Ridge," it is China's only maritime canal and, along with the Lingqu Canal in Guilin, is referred to as one of the "Two Great Ancient Canals of Guangxi."

The section of the canal that runs through Immortals' Hollow is made up entirely of sea-stone hills. The scale of the project was so grand that, in ancient times, it would have been extremely difficult to excavate without supernatural aid, which is why it is called "Immortals' Ridge." The canal is several meters wide and approximately 10 kilometers long, cutting through the middle of the Jiangshan Peninsula and connecting Fangcheng Port with Pearl Harbor. It is navigable during high tide. According to the *Beimeng Suoyan* (Miscellaneous Accounts of the Northern Dreams) by Sun Guangxian of the Five Dynasties period, the canal was dug during the Xiantong and Tonghe eras (860–874 AD) of the Tang Dynasty under the direction of Gao Pian, the military governor of Annam, who recruited workers for the task. Once completed, ships no longer had to sail around the Jiangshan Peninsula to reach Fangcheng and Pearl Harbors, reducing the journey by 15 kilometers. It also avoided the dangerous waves at Bailongwei Cape at the southern tip of the peninsula and the threat of pirates, ensuring safer passage for vessels. The *Tang Book: Biography of Gao Pian* states that after the canal was opened, “boats and ships passed without delay, Annam’s reserves were never lacking, and its benefits continue to this day.”

The canal is about 2 kilometers long and runs from east to west, linking the Tanpeng Bay and Wansong Harbor. The water route from Tanpeng to Dongxing no longer needs to detour around Bailongwei, significantly shortening the maritime journey. At the eastern section’s entrance known as “Immortals’ Ridge,” the canal is flanked by steep cliffs and rugged boulders standing as high as 15 meters, with widths ranging from a maximum of about 8 meters down to a minimum of roughly 2 meters, all surrounded by lush, dense vegetation. After the liberation, the Tanpeng Brigade reconstructed part of it as an irrigation channel, narrowing the water surface to just 1.2 meters wide. However, the middle and western sections gradually widen, with some areas reaching up to 25 meters in width. Today, at the “Immortals’ Rapids” bridge in Tanxi Village, the canal has been cut off by a reservoir dam, preventing its waters from flowing into the sea. About one meter below the water surface under the stone cliff, inscriptions reading “7th day of the 3rd month of the 9th year of the Xiantong era” and “Hunan Army” can be found. Approximately 50 centimeters underwater on the stone wall, there are also carvings such as “3rd year of the Yuanhe era.”

The “Tanpeng Canal” flows year-round with a steady stream and continues to irrigate over 2,300 acres of rice fields in the villages of Tanpeng and Tanxi, ensuring stable harvests regardless of drought or flood. This ancient canal still quietly serves the local community today.