National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (cultural, 2014) |
| Name | 大运河 |
| Country | China |
| Nearby cities | Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou |
| Nearby sites | West Lake, Hangzhou, Mount Putuo, Mount Yandang, Classical Gardens of Suzhou, Mount Xuedou, Mount Tianmu (Tianlao) |
| Latitude, longitude | 29.87, 121.56 Google Maps |
About
The Grand Canal (大运河) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 as a cultural site.
Why it was inscribed
The World Heritage Committee found that it meets criteria (i), (iii), (iv), (vi) of the ten selection criteria:
(i) a masterpiece of human creative genius.
(iii) a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
(iv) an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history.
(vi) directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas or beliefs, or with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
Description (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)
The Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it was conceived as a unified means of communication for the Empire for the first time in the 7th century AD (Sui dynasty). This led to a series of gigantic construction sites, creating the world’s largest and most extensive civil engineering project prior to the Industrial Revolution. It formed the backbone of the Empire’s inland communication system, transporting grain