Grand Canal

A UNESCO World Heritage canal running from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south, linking a string of canal cities with thousands of years of history.

China's Grand Canal comprises the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Sui-Tang Grand Canal and the East Zhejiang Canal. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. The Beijing–Hangzhou section is about 1,800 km long and connects five major river systems: the Hai, Yellow, Huai, Yangtze and Qiantang rivers. Cities along the route, from north to south, are Beijing (Tongzhou Canal Park, Shichahai), Tianjin (Sanchakou), Cangzhou, Liaocheng (Dongchangfu Ancient City), Jining, Taierzhuang Ancient City, Xuzhou, Huai'an (Qingjiangpu, Governor-General of Grain Transport Office), Yangzhou (China Grand Canal Museum, Slender West Lake, Dongguan Street), Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Wuxi (Qingming Bridge), Suzhou (Panmen Gate, Shantang Street), Jiaxing and Hangzhou (Gongchen Bridge, Qiaoxi Historic District). The canal can be explored in sections: the Jiangnan section (Yangzhou – Suzhou – Hangzhou) is the most developed, at 3–5 days, and you can also take a Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal cruise in Hangzhou or a night cruise on the ancient canal in Suzhou. The Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway runs along the route. “Canal Cultural Belt” projects in each city are still under construction, so some attractions' opening hours may change. The food along the canal is just as rich, from Tianjin jianbing guozi and Huaiyang cuisine to Suzhou-style and Hangzhou-style dishes, forming a “canal on the tip of the tongue”. Night cruises in Yangzhou, Suzhou and elsewhere are recommended, to take in the lights along both banks and the lingering echoes of a thousand years of grain transport.

Destinations

Itineraries