What effects did the Grand Canal have on Song China? Sui Dynasty
What were the benefits of the great canal?
The Grand Canal
connects the two Rivers systems
. This makes it possible to ship grain from the agricultural south to the more industrial north. It also helped bring supplies to the Chinese armies defending the northern borders.
Why is the Grand Canal so famous in the world?
The Grand Canal is famous worldwide
for the centuries-old palaces which stand on both sides of the water
. Most of them date from the 13th to the 18th century, a time in which existed the Venetian Republic. These magnificent buildings show the wealth Venetian families had at the time of the powerful Venetian Republic.
What was the Grand Canal?
The Grand Canal in Jiangsu Province stretches for 628 kilometers (390 miles), serving as
an extremely important water transportation artery in East China
, perfectly linking northern Jiangsu Province and southern Jiangsu Province.
What purposes has the Grand Canal served over the years?
During the Yuan, Ming ( 1368- 1644), and Qing ( 1644- 1911) dynasties, the Grand Canal served
as the main artery between northern and southern China and was essential for the transport of grain to Beijing
. Although it was mainly used for shipping grain, the waterway also transported other commodities.
The Song dynasty was
the first in world history to issue banknotes or true paper money and the first Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy
. This dynasty saw the first recorded chemical formula of gunpowder, the invention of gunpowder weapons such as fire arrows, bombs, and the fire lance.
Founding of the Song Dynasty
Zhao Kuangyin, later known as Emperor Taizu (r. 960–976), usurped the throne from the Zhou with the support of military commanders in 960
, initiating the Song dynasty. Upon taking the throne, his first goal was the reunification of China after half a century of political division.
One of the practical innovations developed under the Tang was
the Grand Canal
. At the time the world’s longest human-made canal, it linked the Huang He and the Ch’ang Rivers and encouraged north-south trade within China.
What was an effect of the construction of roads and canals by the Zhou dynasty? It led to
new towns and more trade
.
The Grand Canal became a major factor in economic growth and political unity by
connecting north and south, allowing transport of tax grain and control of the sale of salt
.
Today, the canal is about 1,700 kilometers long and
is still heavily used in the Yangtze delta
. About 100,000 river vessels transit on the canal each year, carrying about 260 million tons, mostly construction material.
What impact did improvements in transportation have on Tang and Song China? The improvements of transportation impacted Tang and Song because it
allowed diffusion to many different countries and city-states
.
Under the Tang dynasty, China’s economy prospered;
travel became easier as the Tang build roads, waterways, and seaports, and reopened the Silk Road
; improved transportation opened China to international trade. China exported silk, tea, steel, paper, and porcelain.
Technological advances of China? Since more food was available,
their population grew
. New areas were settled, which developed into cities. Increased trade routes by roads, waterways and sea ports increased trade for Chines merchants, to other parts of the world.
Rapid population growth reflected the productivity of the agricultural economy and a well-organized distribution of food by many maritime trade networks
. Increased food supplies encouraged the growth of cities.
In most cases,
a canal has a series of dams and locks that create reservoirs of low speed current flow
. These reservoirs are referred to as slack water levels, often just called levels.
The Song period is often compared with the western Renaissance when plenties of inventions were made that substantially improved the welware of mankind and contributed to technological progress. Indeed, three important inventions of mankind were made during the Song period:
moveable printing types, gunpowder, and the
…
Song dynasty officials gave the quick-growing champa rice to peasants across China in order to
boost their crop yields
, and its rapid growth time was crucial in feeding the burgeoning Chinese population of over 100 million.
Experimenting with life-lengthening elixirs around A.D. 850, Chinese alchemists instead discovered gunpowder.
Their explosive invention would become the basis for almost every weapon used in war from that point on
, from fiery arrows to rifles, cannons and grenades.
