A Stroll Along Beijing's Restored Canal System

A project to reconstruct a section of an ancient canal system that once flowed through the heart of Beijing is finally nearing completion. The first phase, completed in 2014, linked Qianhai and Dianmen Dong Dajie. The second phase, from Dianmen to Beiheyan north of the Forbidden City is due to be completed by the end of this year.

The reconstructed canal revives a legacy of canals and waterways which once crisscrossed Beijing.

For centuries, engineers have attempted to wrestle water from the springs around today’s Beijing to build lakes and canals to service the city. Beijing is one of the few major cities in the world today – and one the only ancient capitals – which does not sit on a significant natural body of water. Moving materials from the prosperous south to build and supply the capital has long been a challenge.

In 1393, the Chinese scientist and official Guo Shoujing organized the reconstruction and expansion of a canal system to accommodate the building and development of a new Mongolian capital, Khanbaliq. The city, which would later form the foundations of modern Beijing, was dependent on goods and food from the rest of the empire for its support. Guo ordered the digging of a series of canals which began in natural springs in the Western Hills and near present-day Changping. These channels flowed into retaining lakes, the largest of which was Wengshan Bo. Later this reservoir would become the centerpiece of the 19th-century Summer Palace and is now known as Kunming Lake.

These lakes acted as reservoirs to regulate the levels in a series of waterways which flowed via two channels from the northwest to the southeast through the heart of the capital. Eventually, the water exited the city through sluices and water gates before joining the Tonghui River as it flowed east to meet the Grand Canal near present-day Tianjin.

Click "Read more" for the rest of this story.

On another note, the Beijinger's 2016 Pizza Cup and Festival is just around the corner. The celebration will kick off with Pies for the People on September 15 onwards. Get special deals from various pizza parlors around town. Click here for more details.