Grand Canal Grain-Transport System

Timeline

1. c. 605–750Luoyang-Yangzhou canal trunk · HenanEmperor Yang of Sui dug the Tongji and Yongji canals; the Tang set up grain transport commissioners to manage official fleets and en-route storehouses, establishing a complementary river-sea north-south supply model that framed later grain-transport institutions.
2. c. 1280–1368Canal from Dadu (Beijing) to Hangzhou · ChinaThe Yuan repaired the canal linking Dadu with Jiangnan, set up the Waterworks Directorate to manage locks and dams, and used sea transport to supplement northward grain shipping; dredging of the Huitong and Tonghui canals basically formed the prototype of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
3. 1391Nanjing (early Ming capital) · NanjingAfter founding, the Ming established its capital at Nanjing; in the Hongwu reign it reformed grain transport, appointed a Grain Transport Governor-General for river transport, abolished late-Yuan exactions, and regulated fleet formations and departure times. Jiangnan grain reached Nanjing by canal, making grain transport a pillar of early Ming finance and military supply.
4. c. 1400–1420Tongzhou (grain transport terminus east of Beijing) · BeijingAround the Jingnan Campaign, northern grain-transport demand rose. After the Yongle Emperor moved the capital to Beijing, the Huitong Canal was massively dredged and the Tonghui Canal dug, establishing a river-transport-dominated 'south grain northward' pattern, with Tongzhou as the final harbor before grain fleets entered the capital.