Qingjiangpu: how a water-control problem made a city
At Qingjiang Lock, follow Chen Xuan's canal intervention from imperial grain transport to towlines, bypass channels and urban life.
Huai'an.
Follow grain, water and stories through a canal city shaped by hydraulic engineering, merchant streets and the memory of Journey to the West.
Canal engineering and Hexia
Hexia: merchant streets and the making of a literary hometown
Explore Wu Cheng'en's remembered world through Hexia's trading streets, restored residence and continuing culture of storytelling.
Read the storyExplore more of the city
Qingjiang Lock and the Li Canal
A modest-looking water-control site that makes the Grand Canal's engineering and human effort tangible.
Hexia and Wu Cheng'en's Memorial Residence
Merchant streets and literary commemoration meet in a neighbourhood linked to the writer traditionally credited with Journey to the West.
Photo credits and rights
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A quiet lane by the south entrance of Hexia Ancient Town in Huai'an.Kmchang28 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Resized and converted to WebP.
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The Qingjiangpu waterfront in Huai'an, photographed in July 2025.Cz2018764171 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Resized and converted to WebP.