The Grand Canal is the longest man made waterway in the world. It was built in the Sui dynasty (600 CE) and runs between Hanzhou and Beijing. In the Song dynasty (10th C) an engineer, Qiao Weiyue, invented the lock, and allowed ships to navigate the length of the canal. Is it any wonder that when the Chinese sailed the world, long before Europeans did, that they saw nothing that impressed them? No, it really isn't. They were just so far ahead of the rest of us. This canal was used to transport goods up and down China, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. And very lovely to sit along side and watch the boats go by.
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