Lingqu, Guilin, Guangxi | 灵渠桂林广西
Day 18 | 第十八天
Lingqu Canal | 灵渠
Off the beaten path, we visited Lingqu Canal | 灵渠, considered to be one of the oldest and best preserved water conservancy projects in China. The canal links the Xiang River (which flows into the Yangzi River) to the the Li River (which flows into the Pearl River), thereby connecting two of China’s major waterways.
Lingqu Canal is considered to be a symbol of a unified China.
The canal was built during the 2nd century BCE by Qin Shi Huang (the first emperor China) to transport supplies to his army in south China. At the time, south China (known as the Lingnan region—today’s Guangxi and Guangdong provinces) was comprised of different ethnic groups and was considered a frontier. In 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms in the region and established a new country. As part of this unification effort, Qin Shi Huang sent close to 500,000 troops to the southern territory who had a hard time defeating the indigenous southern groups. The construction of Lingqu Canal provided support for the Qin military, which contributed to both the defeat of the southern groups and the unification of north and south China. It also led to the migration of people from the central plains to the Lingnan area—in many ways, similar to the impact of Mei Guan Pass.
With a total length of 37.4 km (20 miles), the canal has been in service for over 2000 years since its completion in 214 BCE as the main water transport route between central China and Lingnan—up until the completion of railways in the early 1900s.
According to Him Mark Lai in Becoming Chinese American, Lingqu Canal | 灵渠 was one of the key factors in conquering southern China into a united country under the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang:
The Qin armies, however, encountered fierce resistance from the Nanyue [Southern Yue] in Guangdong and Guangxi. At one point a Qin army was defeated and nearly annihilated. In order to facilitate supplying the Qin armies fighting in the present day Guangdong, Guangxi, and northern Vietnam, the twenty-mile long Ling Qu canal was excavated connecting the headwaters of the Xiang River in the Yangzi River basin with the Li River flowing into the West River basin. The armament and military organization of the Qin military forces finally prevailed, and by 214 B.C., Guangdong, Guangxi, and northern Vietnam were subjugated into “one” China.
Reading about the critical role that the Lingqu Canal served in unifying China made me think about how southern China—the Lingnan region in particular—has always been part of a resistance movement.
Our tour ended in Xing’an Town |兴安镇 on Water Street | Shuijie | 水街. As our boat slowly entered Xing’an, we passed by stone bridges, pavilions, and ornamental facades constructed in architectural styles inspired by the Qin and Han dynasties (221 BCE-220 CE). At first glance, it was hard for me to tell if these features were historically authentic but after speaking with our guide, he confirmed that many of the building exteriors were fabricated in the early 2000s, when there was an initiative to increase tourism to the area. We also saw how the waterway served as a critical resource for the local community as residents were using the canal water for their basic needs. ■