Ming Dynasty Grand Canal Grain Transport

Timeline

1. 1368–1380Jiangnan–Huaiyang canal route · JiangsuIn the early Ming, the Yuan canal system was taken over; during the Hongwu reign orders were issued repeatedly to dredge the Huitong River, the Yellow River sections, and the Jiangnan canal routes, restoring navigation through locks, dams, and shallows, and setting up grassroots maintenance staff such as waterside granaries and dredging laborers.
2. 1381–1390Nanjing (capital) · NanjingIn the mid-to-late Hongwu reign the grain transport system took shape: offices such as the Grain Transport Commissioner and Supervisor were established, and Jiangnan tax grain was shipped in batches via the canal to Nanjing and northern granaries, forming the rudiments of relay methods like 'branch transport' and 'exchange transport', securing supplies for the capital and the northern frontier garrisons.
3. 1421–1644Beijing (capital) · BeijingAfter the Yongle reign moved the capital to Beijing, the grain transport terminus shifted north; the Huitong River, the Tongzhou granaries, and the 'Grain Transport Governor-General' system were perfected, and the Grand Canal became the economic lifeline between north and south, carrying millions of shi of grain annually.