The Grand Canal
The Grand Canal is a vast system of waterways in the northeastern and east-central plains of China, stretching from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province in the south. The Grand Canal was built in sections beginning in the fifth century BC and was first conceived as a unified means of transportation for the empire in the seventh century AD (during the Sui Dynasty). This resulted in a series of huge construction sites, creating the largest and most extensive civil engineering project in the world before the Industrial Revolution. It formed the backbone of the empire's inland transportation system, transporting food and strategic raw materials, and providing rice to feed the people. By the 13th century, it consisted of more than 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways, connecting the basins of China's five major rivers. It played an important role in ensuring the country's economic prosperity and stability, and remains a major means of transportation to this day.