Yongle-era Grand Canal Dredging and Expansion

Timeline

1. 1411Capital (Nanjing) · JiangsuIn the second month of the ninth year of Yongle, because sea transport was perilous and land transport laborious and costly, Pan Shuzheng, subprefectural administrator of Jining, memorialized requesting the reopening of the Huitong River. The Ming Chengzu emperor adopted his proposal, ordering Minister of Works Song Li, Vice Minister Jin Chun, and Commander Zhou Chang to oversee the dredging, to solve the problem of grain transport after the capital's move to Beijing.
2. 1411Jining to Linqing section of the Huitong River · ShandongSong Li led laborers to dredge 385 li of the Huitong River, diverting the Wen and Si rivers into the canal. A dam was built at Dai Village in Dongping to check the westward flow of the Wen River; adopting the plan of Bai Ying, an elder of Wenshan, they dredged Mata Lake, Nanwang Lake, and Shushan Lake as reservoirs, and built additional locks and dams along the canal, solving the Huitong River's water shortage and silting problems.
3. 1411Nanwang Town · ShandongWater division works were built at Nanwang—the highest point of the canal's longitudinal profile—sending seven-tenths of the Wen River's water north to Linqing and three-tenths south to supply the Xuzhou-Lüliang section, with 38 locks installed north and south. This project made the Huitong River navigable year-round, laying the key foundation for the full opening of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the thirteenth year of Yongle and subsequent grain transport.