The operation of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the vast waterway system in the northeastern and eastern plains of China was founded in the 5th century BC, and the 7th century was regarded as the first means of transportation to unify the Sui Dynasty empire. This has led to a series of huge construction sites and created the largest and most extensive civil engineering projects in the world. Before the industrial revolution, it formed the backbone of the imperial inland transportation system, transporting grain and strategic raw materials and supplying rice to feed the population. By the13rd century, it included more than 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways, connecting the five most important river basins in China. It ensured the economic prosperity and stability of ancient China, played an important role, and has been used as the main means of communication between the north and south rivers until today.