The Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its main artery,known to the Chinese as the Jing–Hang or Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal,is reckoned to extend for 1,776 km (1,104 mi) and is divided into 6 main sections. The Jiangnan Canal runs from the Qiantang River at Hangzhou to the Yangtze River at Zhenjiang;the Inner Canal from the Yangtze at Yangzhou to the Huai River at Huai'an,which for centuries was also its junction with the former course of the Yellow River;the Middle Canal from Huai'an to the Nansi Lakes;the Lu Canal from the lakes past Jining and the present course of the Yellow River to the Wei River at Linqing;the Southern Canal from Linqing to the Hai River at Tianjin;and the Northern Canal from Tianjin to Tongzhou on the outskirts of Beijing. As such,it passes through the provinces and municipalities of Zhejiang,Jiangsu,Shandong,Hebei,Tianjin,and Beijing. Since 2013 and 2014,the Chinese government and UNESCO further recognize the Eastern Zhejiang Canal from Hangzhou to Ningbo and certain sites along the former Tongji and Yongji Canals as official components of the Grand Canal.
The Yellow River is the second-longest river in China,after the Yangtze River,and the sixth-longest river system on Earth at the estimated length of 5,464 km (3,395 mi). Originating at an elevation above 15,000 feet in the Bayan Har Mountains,it empties into the Bohai Sea. The Yellow River's basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization.
Kaifeng is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province,China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China,having been the capital eight times in history,and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Northern Song dynasty.
Jiyuan is a sub-prefecture-level city in northwestern Henan province,People's Republic of China. It borders the prefecture-level cities of Jiaozuo and Luoyang to the east and southwest respectively,as well as the province of Shanxi to the north.
Wu was a state during the Western Zhou dynasty and the Spring and Autumn period,outside the Zhou cultural sphere. It was also known as Gouwu or Gongwu from the pronunciation of the local language. Wu was located at the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu and south of the State of Qi. Its first capital was at Meili,then HelüCity,and later moved to Gusu.
The Longshanculture,also sometimes referred to as the Black Pottery Culture,was a late Neolithic culture in the middle and lower Yellow River valley areas of northern China from about 3000 to 1900 BC. The first archaeological find of this culture took place at the Chengziya Archaeological Site in 1928,with the first excavations in 1930 and 1931. The culture is named after the nearby modern town of Longshan in Zhangqiu,Shandong. The culture was noted for its highly polished black pottery. The population expanded dramatically during the 3rd millennium BC,with many settlements having rammed earth walls. It decreased in most areas around 2000 BC until the central area evolved into the Bronze Age Erlitou culture. The Longshan culture has been linked to the early Sinitic . According to the area and cultural type,the Longshan culture can be divided into two types:Shandong Longshan and Henan Longshan. Among them,Shandong Longshan Cultural Site includes Chengziya Site;Henan Longshan Cultural Site includes Dengfeng Wangchenggang Site in Wangwan,Taosi Site and Mengzhuang Site in Hougang.
Fuchai,sometimes also written Fucha,was the last king of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His armies constructed important canals linking the Yellow,Ji,and Huai River systems of the North China Plain with central China's Yangtze River,but he is most remembered in Chinese culture for the role he played in the legends concerning Goujian,the revenge-seeking king of Yue.
Heze,formerly known as Caozhou,is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province,China,bordering Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively.
The South–North Water Transfer Project,also translated as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is a multidecade infrastructure mega-project in China that ultimately aims to channel 44.8 cubic kilometers of fresh water each year from the Yangtze River in southern China to the more arid and industrialized north through three canal systems:
The Si River is a river in Shandong Province,China. It also ran through the area of modern Jiangsu Province until floods in 1194.
Mudan District is an urban district of Heze,Shandong province. It is the seat of Heze's prefectural government and center of its built-up or metro area,bordering Henan province to the northwest across the Yellow River.
Dongming County in Heze Prefecture is the westernmost county of Shandong Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Henan Province to the west across the Yellow River. Dongming County had a population of 677,563 in 1999.
The history of canals in China connecting its major rivers and centers of agriculture and population extends from the legendary exploits of Yu the Great in his attempts control the flooding of the Yellow River to the present infrastructure projects of the People's Republic of China. From the Spring and Autumn period onward,the canals of China were used for army transportation and supply,as well as colonization of new territories. From the Qin to the Qing,China's canal network was also essential to imperial taxation-in-kind. Control of shipbuilding and internal tariffs were also administered along the canals.
The 1034 Yellow River flood was a natural disaster along China's Yellow River originating in a burst fascine following heavy rainfall at Henglong in the territory of the Northern Song. The flood divided the Yellow River from its previous course into three more northerly channels meeting the Chihe,You,and Jin.
The Dongping Lake (Chinese:东平湖;pinyin:DōngpíngHú) is a freshwater lake in Shandong Province of China. It is situated in Dongping County in the west of Shandong Province,south of the lower reaches of Yellow River. The lake has a total area of about 148 square kilometers. The average depth is 1.59 m,the water storage capacity is about 2.35×108m3.
Baguadao or Eight Trigram Teaching (八卦教) is a network of Chinese folk religious sects,one of the most extended in northern China. The tradition dates back to the late 17th century Ming dynasty,and was heavily persecuted during the following Qing dynasty when affiliated sects organised an uprising in 1813,led by Lin Qing. Affiliated sects appeared under various names,but during the latter half of the 18th century they adopted Bagua Jiao as their common designation.
Hui River,traditionally known as Huan River or Baohui River,was a major tributary of Huai River in northern China. Currently,it flows into the Huai-Hong New Canal,a constructed flood control waterway connecting Huaiyuan and Hongze Lake. The starting point of Hui River is the ancient Honggou Canal (鸿沟),which has a great historical significance because it was the border between territories controlled by Liu Bang and Xiang Yu during the Chu-Han Contention. The river is mainly recharged by rainwater and groundwater. The river is heavily polluted by wastewater from nearby towns.
Chen Xi was a Chinese rebel leader against the first Han emperor Liu Bang.
Yuanqu or Wanqu County,known as Wanting County after 1086,was a former county of imperial China covering most of present-day Dongming County and the western part of Mudan District in the Heze Prefecture of southwestern Shandong. Yuanqu or Wanqu was also the name of its eponymous county seat. The town was destroyed by a flood of the Yellow River in 1168,and its territory merged with Jiyin County. The ruins of the county seat were rediscovered at Longwangmiao Village in southwestern Mudan District in June 2007 by a team of archaeologists from the district government.
