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How was Mongol-era Dadu designed and supplied by the Tonghui Canal?

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Map of eastern Asia highlighting China and its neighboring countries, with an arrow pointing to Beijing Municipality in northeastern China. The map includes international boundaries, disputed borders, and lines of control, and shows major surrounding countries such as Russia, Mongolia, India, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. An inset at the bottom left shows the location of China within Asia. — Beijing Beijing city and municipality, China.

During the Yuan dynasty, the Mongol capital of Dadu was designed as a grand, imposing city featuring square walls and 12 gates modeled on traditional Chinese city planning, while its interior living quarters often reflected styles from Mongolia and Central Asia.1

To sustain the capital, the Tonghui Canal was constructed to connect with the Grand Canal. This vital waterway allowed boats transporting tribute rice from provinces south of the Yangtze River to sail directly into new lakes located inside the city of Dadu. While this canal system was essential for the capital's grain-supply requirements, it is worth noting that during the Yuan period, canal transport was often considered expensive and inefficient, leading much of the grain supply to be transported by sea instead.12