Old Bian Canal

canal, China [206 bc– ad 220]

Also known as: Han Canal, Langtang Canal, Old Pien Canal

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

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The Old Bian Canal was a historic waterway in eastern China, connecting the Huang He (Yellow River) to the Huai River and subsequently the Yangtze River. Constructed during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), it utilized and improved existing waterways. This canal played a crucial role in transportation and grain supply, particularly when the capital was located at Kaifeng. Its importance diminished with the construction of the Grand Canal and shifts in political centers, eventually being abandoned. A modern waterway, also named the New Bian Canal, was built in the late 1960s for flood control, transport, and irrigation.1

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canals and inland waterways
Ancient works
…the Li River, and the Bian Canal in Henan. Of later canals the most spectacular was the Grand Canal, the first 966-km (600-mile) section of which was opened to navigation in 610. This waterway enabled grain to be transported from the lower Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and Huai River valleys…
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…the Li River, and the Bian Canal in Henan. Of later canals the most spectacular was the Grand Canal, the first 966-km (600-mile) section of which was opened to navigation in 610. This waterway enabled grain to be transported from the lower Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and Huai River valleys…
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Bian Canal
…in later times as the Old Bian Canal, ran southeastward from Kaifeng as far as modern Shangqiu (Henan) and then ran eastward to pass through the gap in the south spur of the Shandong Hills at modern Xuzhou in Jiangsu. There it joined the Si River, which flows into the…
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…in later times as the Old Bian Canal, ran southeastward from Kaifeng as far as modern Shangqiu (Henan) and then ran eastward to pass through the gap in the south spur of the Shandong Hills at modern Xuzhou in Jiangsu. There it joined the Si River, which flows into the…
Read More