The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the oldest and longest man-made waterway, being 1,794 kilometers long. It was constructed back in the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). Each feudal nation built canals in each district in order to strength the communication with others. Canals connected with the natural waterways.

The Grand Canal connects the present cities of Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south, both of which served as dynastic capitals in the past. It runs through Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei province, Shandong province, Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province and provides an important connection between the Yangtze River valley and the Yellow River valley, and other minor river systems.

The Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal starts from Tangqi town in Yuhang district in the north and ends in the Qiantang River to the south. It runs across four urban districts in the city of Hangzhou, Yuhang, Gongshu, Xiacheng and Jianggan.

Starting from 2002, the Hangzhou municipal government officially initiated a renovation and protective development project oriented to the canal in the city, achieving an overall improvement of water quality, bridges, old streets and buildings along the canal.

By now, a scenic belt has been formed along the banks of the canal in Hangzhou, featuring natural ecological landscape and cultural attractions such as historical streets, cultural parks, museums and temples.