Complete Map of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal

The Grand Canal (大运河) is the longest, oldest canal in the world, running 1,100 miles from Beijing in the north of China to Zhejiang province in the south (roughly the distance between Washington, DC and Abilene, Kansas). Originally constructed beginning in the 5th century BC, large portions were significantly rebuilt during the 13^th-17^th centuries. By the 14^th century, the Grand Canal fed the north of China as the major transportation artery for grain coming from agricultural regions into the capital city. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its waters still carry more than 100,000 vesssels and 260 million tons of goods every year.

This book is a reproduction of a handscroll painting of a map currently in the archival collection of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (国家测绘地理信息局). The map follows the entire course of the Grand Canal from Beijing southward to the Yangzi River, showing the pictorial approach to mapmaking common during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). The full length of the reproduction surpasses 28 feet, but when folded in a traditional accordian style, it is a compact 4 inches.