Guilin Xingan Ling Canal

Ling Canal

Ling Canal , situated at north of Xing' an, is 58 kilometers far from Guilin . It was built in 214B.C. (Qin Dynasty 33), and is also is called Qin Canal . It is 34 km long. It is the oldest canal in the world.

The canal was once an important means of transports serving the region before railways and roads were constructed. This canal still serves a purposes by irrigating about 2700 hectare of agricultural land.

This canal connects the Xiang River of Hunan Province with the Gui River of Guangxi. The first flows northward toward the Yangtze River and the latter southward toward the China Sea .

It is possible to sail from Guangzhou by traveling up the Xi and Gui Rivers to this canal and passing through it, proceed down the Xiang River to the Yangtze, hence to the Grand Canal and even as far as Peiping without getting off the boat.

In bygone days before railroads and motor highways, this elaborate canal was of great assistance to China 's transport and unity. Construction was started two centuries before Christ and was a the farsighted project of the great Emperor Chin Shi Huang Ti, who built China 's Great Wall.

 

Got questions? Ask us here!

Tailor-made My Trip