Table 3 Modification of the waterways in the six historical periods
Period | Year | Water system layout1 | Significant events | Length of the Grand Canal water system (km)2 | Length of the canal system inside Ancient Suzhou City (km)3 | Overall length of the waterways (km)4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre-Sui | 514 BCE | N/A | The walled city of Helu was constructed with 8 land gates and 8 water gates [8] | N/A | N/A | N/A |
506 BCE |
| Construction on the Xu Canal, which connected the city moat with Tai Lake [6] | 36.3 | N/A | N/A | |
495 BCE |
| Construction on the earliest section of the Grand Canal in Suzhou, connecting Suzhou and Yangtze River [8] | 62.9 | N/A | N/A | |
Sui and Tang | 610 CE |
| Construction on the Jiangnan Canal, which connected Suzhou to Jiaxing and Hangzhou [8] | 124.5 | 63.9 | 188.4 |
815 CE |
| Construction on the Shantang Canal [4] | 131.0 | 63.9 | 194.9 | |
Five Dynasties to Song | 1229 CE |
| N/A | 130.7 | 82.4 | 213.1 |
Yuan and Ming | 1639 CE |
| N/A | 131.1 | 86.3 | 217.4 |
Qing | 1896 CE |
| N/A | 131.1 | 62.4 | 193.4 |
Modern Times | 1950 CE |
| Construction of a new channel in the west of the ancient city [6] | 135.8 | 60.4 | 196.2 |
1986 CE |
| Construction of a new channel in the south of the ancient city [6] | 144.1 | 37.0 | 181.1 |
