Grand Canal Grain Transport System

Timeline

1. 605–610Canal route from Luoyang to Yuhang · Central PlainsEmperor Yang of Sui ordered the excavation of the Yongji Canal, Tongji Canal, Han Canal, and Jiangnan River sections, linking the Hai, Yellow, Huai, Yangtze, and Qiantang river systems and establishing the basic north–south Grand Canal layout and its grain transport function.
2. c. 960–1279Bian River, Imperial River, and Jiangnan Canal · JianghuaiDuring the Song–Jin period the Bian River was the main artery of grain transport, dredged and maintained year after year; the Southern Song, holding to Jiangnan, pursued both canal and sea transport. After the Jin established its capital at Beijing, work began on opening the northern canal route, accumulating experience for the Yuan's through route from Dadu to Hangzhou.
3. 1289–1293Dadu to Tongzhou · DaduGuo Shoujing oversaw the excavation of the Tonghui River, diverting water from the Baifu Springs at Changping into Dadu and linking Tongzhou with the southern section of the Beijing–Hangzhou Canal, achieving continuous river transport from Hangzhou to Dadu and essentially finalizing the Yuan grain transport system's layout.
4. 1321–1330Tongzhou grain transport wharves to Jiangnan grain routes · TongzhouIn the Yuan mid-to-late period, millions of shi of grain were shipped north to Dadu via the canal each year; agencies such as the Waterworks Directorate and the Chief Transfer Commission managed shipping, river works, and storage, with river and sea transport alternating as supplements, sustaining the imperial capital's grain supply and fiscal operations.