The Earliest and Longest Man一made Canal一Jinghang Canal
京杭大运河
Jinghang Canal is called canal for short. It is known as the greatest chi-na ancient project with the Great Wall. Since being founded in 5th ten-tury，the canal has had two large-scale expeditions within Sui and Yuan two dynas-ties. Having the length of 1794 kilometers，15 times longer than Suez Canal and 32 times Panama Canal，Jinghang Canal is the main sea line combining the north and the south in our country.
京杭大运河简称运河，与万里长城并列为中国古代最伟大的工程之一。始建于公元前5世纪，后经隋、元两次大规模扩建。全长1794千米，是苏伊士运河的16倍，巴拿马运河的33倍，是中国重要的一条南北水上干线。
The canal begins from Beijing and ends in Hang Zhou crossing Tianjing，He-bei，Shangdong，Jiangshu and Zhejiang，linking not only Haihe River，the Yellow River but also Huaihe River and Yangtze River. So it is the second prime channel only following Yangtze River in China.
它北起北京，南至杭州，经过北京、天津、河北、山东、江苏、浙江六省市，沟通了海河、黄河、淮河、长江、钱塘江五大水系，是中国仅次于长江的第二条“黄金水道”。
Though the canal cannot be wholly open to navigation currently，its seasonal navigation length has reached 1100 kilometers，mainly distributed in the south of Huanghe River. It reduces the burden of railway goods transportation，especially for the short and middle distance transportation of coal and building material，mak-certain difference in promoting the district economic and enforcing the north-communication. The canal continues to play an important role in ocean ship-
目前，大运河虽不能全程通航，但季节性通航里程已达1100千米，主要分布在黄河以南的山东、江苏和浙江三省。对分担铁路的货流，特别是承担煤炭、建材等的中短途运输任务，对发展地区经济，加强南北交流，起到了一定的作用。今天，大运河将继续发挥其重要的作用。
The whole course of the Great Canal covers seven sections:the one from the city zone of Beijing to Tongxian County is called the Tonghui River, from Tonpxian County to Tianjin called the North Canal，from Tianjin to Linqing called the South Ca-nal，from Linqing to Tairzhuang called the Lu Canal，from Tairzhuang to Huaiyin called the Central Canal，from Huaiyin to Yangzhou called the Inner Canal，and across the Yangtze River the one from Zhenjiang to Hangzhou called the Jiangnan Canal.
京杭大运河是由人工河道和部分河流、湖泊共同组成的，全程可分为七段:(1)通惠河:北京市区至通县(今北京通州区);(2)北运河:通县至人津市;(3)南运河:天津至临清;(4)鲁运河:临清至台儿庄;(5)中运河:台儿庄至清江;(6)里运河:清江至扬州，人长江;(7)江南运河:镇江至杭州。