My first encounter with the Grand Canal (some 32 years ago) was a slightly creepy overnight trip on a rust-bucket barge. I will never forget our cabin window, half submerged below the murky water line, as we travelled from Hangzhou 杭州 to Suzhou 苏州 (south-west of Shanghai). The water towns of that region are now…
Beijing’s Grand Canal . 京杭大运河
