Grand Canal

1. An inland waterway, about 1,800 km (1,115 mi) long, of eastern China extending from Tianjin in the north to Hangzhou in the south. Begun in the sixth to fifth century bc, it was extended in the seventh century ad and completed in the 13th century.2. The principal waterway of Venice, Italy. The canal is crossed by the historic Rialto bridge and is lined with grand palazzi.

Grand Canal

n 1. (Placename) a canal in E China, extending north from Hangzhou to Tianjin: the longest canal in China, now partly silted up; central section, linking the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, finished in 486 bc; north section finished by Kublai Khan between 1282 and 1292. Length: about 1600 km (1000 miles). Chinese name: Da Yunhe 2. (Placename) a canal in Venice, forming the main water thoroughfare: noted for its bridges, the Rialto, and the fine palaces along its banks

Grand′ Canal′

n. 1. a canal in E China, extending S from Tianjin to Hangzhou. 900 mi. (1450 km) long. 2. a canal in Venice, Italy, forming the main city thoroughfare.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	Grand Canal - the major waterway in Venice, ItalyVenezia, Venice - the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
	2.	Grand Canal - an inland waterway 1000 miles long in eastern China; extends from Tianjin in the north to Hangzhou in the southCathay, China, Communist China, mainland China, People's Republic of China, PRC, Red China - a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world

Grand Canal

Grand Canal,

Chinese Da Yunhe [large transit river], longest in the world, extending c.1,000 mi (1,600 km) from Beijing to Hangzhou, E China, and forming an important north-south waterway on the North China Plain. The canal was started in the 6th cent. B.C. and was constructed over a 2,000-year period. Its largest sections were completed in A.D. 610 under Emperor Yang Ti of the Sui dynasty and were built by dredging and linking existing canals. Tree-shaded roads, postal stations, and imperial pavilions were built along the canal. Between the 10th and the early 13th cent. the waterway fell into disrepair. Kublai Khan reconstructed the canal in the 13th cent. and extended it to Beijing. Improvements were made during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Today the canal follows the Bai River south from Beijing to Tianjin; the 250-mi (412-km) section S of Tianjin ties into the Wei River. Leaving the Wei, the canal runs past Jining and through the elongated lakes of Shandong prov., then past Xuzhou and the lakes of Jiangsu prov. to cross the Chang at Zhenjiang. It runs generally south through the Chang delta, past Wuxi and on to Hangzhou, the southern terminus. The canal is 100 to 200 ft (30–61 m) wide and from 2 to 15 ft (.6–4.6 m) deep. Railroads, roads, and widespread silting have reduced its economic importance, but the canal remains navigable between Jining and Hangzhou and is a busy waterway S of the Chang.

Grand Canal

(Chinese, Yün Ho, transport river), a navigable canal, one of the greatest hydrotechnical structures of China. Construction of the Grand Canal, which was based on a number of canals built as early as the sixth century B.C. (mostly in the seventh century A.D.), was completed in the 13th century A.D. It runs from north to south, from near Peking to Hangchou, intersecting the Huang Ho (Yellow), Huai, and Yangtze rivers. It is 1,782 km long (from Tunghsien to Hangchou; different information on the length of the canal is given in different sources). The Grand Canal system also includes natural waterways, such as the Pai River and the Wei-shan Hu lakes. The main ports on the Grand Canal are Yangchou, Suchou, Wuhsi, and Hangchou. The main cargoes are coal, grain, wood, and cotton.

Grand Canal

1. a canal in E China, extending north from Hangzhou to Tianjin: the longest canal in China, now partly silted up; central section, linking the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, finished in 486 bc; north section finished by Kublai Khan between 1282 and 1292. Length: about 1600 km (1000 miles) 2. a canal in Venice, forming the main water thoroughfare: noted for its bridges, the Rialto, and the fine palaces along its banks

Grand Canal

Grand Canal

Grand Canal

Grand′ Canal′

Grand Canal

Grand Canal,

Grand Canal

Grand Canal

Grand Canal

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noun the major waterway in Venice, Italy

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noun an inland waterway 1000 miles long in eastern China

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