Grand Canal Shipping in the Song Dynasty

Timeline

1. c. 960–1000Along the Grand Canal · ChinaAfter founding the Northern Song, the court rebuilt the grain transport system centered on Bianjing, established transport commissions to manage routes, dredged the Bian and Huimin rivers, and restored the water route for grain from Jiangnan to the capital.
2. c. 1071–1080Bian River–Huai River–Yangtze grain transport route · ChinaDuring the Xining and Yuanfeng eras, alongside the New Policies, farmland waterworks and channel dredging were strengthened, grain transport management reorganized, and northern grain shipments from Jiangnan improved to supply Bianjing's million-strong population.
3. c. 1075–1080Jianghuai grain transport hub · JiangsuSong grain boats became standardized, and locks and weirs along the canal widely regulated water levels, improving shipping capacity and safety and forming a mature inland waterway management system.