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Lingqu Canal

Type Object Region Lingnan Time -214

When Qin Shi Huang campaigned against Lingnan, Shi Lu oversaw the digging of the Lingqu Canal, linking the upper Xiang and Lijiang river systems and …

Timeline

  1. -215–-214Hunan–Guangxi corridor · HunanThe Qin army's campaign into Lingnan required large quantities of grain and materiel to be shipped south; the Xiang and Lijiang rivers were close but had no natural channel between them, urgently requiring an artificial canal to link the two systems.
  2. -214Lingqu Canal · GuangxiShi Lu led workers to dig the Lingqu Canal in Xing'an County, using flash locks (doumen) to regulate water levels so that Xiang River water could flow through the channel into the Lijiang, connecting the Yangtze and Pearl River systems.
  3. -214–-210Lingnan · South ChinaAfter completion, the Lingqu Canal became the supply artery for the Qin army's southward advance and the administration of Lingnan commanderies, profoundly affecting the Qin Empire's unification of Lingnan and the regional water transport pattern for the next two thousand years.

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