TechnologyEast Asia
The Grand Canal
Two thousand kilometres of waterway binding China together
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It is the world's longest artificial waterway and still in use. It allowed a northern capital to be fed on southern rice, binding together two economic zones that would otherwise have drifted apart. The Sui lasted only thirty-seven years — but the Tang inherited the infrastructure and built a golden age on it.
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China's rivers run east, so there was no route between north and south. The Sui dynasty dug a canal joining them. Five million people were conscripted for the work, and the dynasty fell under the strain.
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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org