Grand Canal Grain Transport System (Song)

Timeline

1. c. 960–1000Kaifeng (Bianjing) · HenanAfter the Northern Song established its capital at Kaifeng, offices such as the Transfer Commission and the Grain Transport Supervisor managed canal grain; southeastern rent rice entered the capital via the Bian River, forming a capital supply model of 'canals threading through the city', and the canal became the lifeline of state finance.
2. c. 1040–1100Huai River–Yangtze section (Huainan Canal) · Huai River basinThe Northern Song built ship locks and weirs along the canal to regulate water levels, improving navigation between the Bian River and the Jianghuai region; barge designs were standardized and annual shipments reached millions of shi, supporting the capital and northwestern frontier garrisons.
3. 1127–1240Lin'an Prefecture · ZhejiangAfter the Song court moved south, the grain transport terminus shifted to Lin'an; grain from Jiangnan West and East Circuits was shipped west into the city via the Zhejiang West Canal, Jiangnan River, and other waterways; sea and river transport were used together to offset the loss of the northern canal sections.
4. 1241–1250Jiangnan Canal–Lin'an grain granaries · ZhejiangIn the late Southern Song, Lin'an's population flourished and annual grain shipments remained high; the canal and coastal routes together kept capital rice prices stable, forming a core part of China's 13th-century inland waterway system.
5. 1279Full length of the Grand Canal · ChinaAfter the fall of the Southern Song, the Yuan re-integrated the north–south canals; the Song grain transport system and route layout laid the foundation for the later configuration of the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the Song system ended as an independent dynastical grain transport model.