Six Provinces Join Hands, 850 Billion Yuan in Investment! Why is China Digging an Inland "Century Canal"?

Six Provinces Join Hands, 850 Billion Yuan in Investment! Why is China Digging an Inland "Century Canal"?As we all know, waterway shipping is the most economical mode of transportation. A well-developed waterway system can generate substantial economic revenue and drive the overall development of an entire region

Six Provinces Join Hands, 850 Billion Yuan in Investment! Why is China Digging an Inland "Century Canal"?

As we all know, waterway shipping is the most economical mode of transportation. A well-developed waterway system can generate substantial economic revenue and drive the overall development of an entire region. Recently, Cambodia's canal excavation project has attracted significant attention. However, few are aware that China is also undertaking a "century project" by excavating a grand canal in its inland region. This canal is being dug by six provinces together, with a total investment of 850 billion Yuan! While China already has numerous waterway transportation routes, why the need for another canal? What makes this "century canal" so remarkable?

Six Provinces "Join Hands" to Dig a Canal

The saying goes, "If you want to get rich, build roads first." Since ancient times, not only land routes but waterways have also been crucial for a city's prosperity. A comprehensive and advanced water transportation system not only significantly enhances a region's economic gains but also acts as a powerful engine, propelling all-round prosperity and advancement. Take the Yangtze River Economic Belt as an example. The improvement in the shipping capacity of this golden waterway, traversing China from east to west, has not only greatly promoted the economic development of cities along its banks but has also profoundly transformed the economic interconnection between inland and coastal regions.

Therefore, no nation wishes to forgo the opportunity to leverage waterways to improve local economies. Cambodia is currently engaged in a full-fledged canal excavation project. On August 5th, the groundbreaking ceremony for the De Chong Funan Canal project in Cambodia was held. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated firmly during the ceremony, "We must build this canal at all costs." He then pressed the button to officially initiate the project. This underscores the paramount importance of this canal for Cambodia, and the entire world is closely monitoring its progress.

However, few are aware that China is silently undertaking a massive canal construction project, dubbed the "century project," in its inland region. This time, six provinces - Henan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Anhui, Hubei, and Hunan - are collaborating to jointly excavate this grand canal. Preliminary estimates suggest a staggering total investment of 850 billion Yuan, a figure that rivals and surpasses the total cost of constructing seven Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridges. This highlights the extraordinary nature of this canal. The question arises: Why is China undertaking such a grand project, involving the excavation of another canal, despite already having numerous existing canals? And why were these specific cities chosen?

Adding Inland Transportation Modes

Observing the aforementioned six provinces, we note that they are all inland cities. Furthermore, cities like Henan and Hubei enjoy convenient transportation networks. Take Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, as an example. It serves as a crucial transportation hub in China's central region. Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, the largest civilian airport in Henan Province, connects numerous domestic and international flight routes and also handles a considerable volume of cargo, facilitating external exchanges for Zhengzhou and the entire Central Plains region.

Zhengzhou sits at the heart of China's high-speed rail network. It is not only a junction for the Beijing-Guangzhou and Xuzhou-Lanzhou high-speed railway lines, two major national arteries, but also the starting point for the Zhengzhou-Xi'an high-speed railway. These high-speed rail lines ensure swift connectivity between Zhengzhou and major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other provinces. In addition to high-speed rail, Zhengzhou also boasts a traditional rail network encompassing lines like the Longhai Railway and the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway. These lines connect China's north, south, east, and west directions, establishing Zhengzhou as a key rail hub linking the North China, East China, South China, and Northwest China regions.

Zhengzhou's transportation advantages stem not only from its favorable geographical location but also from the confluence of numerous national transportation arteries, including the G30 Lianhuo Expressway and the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway. This intricate network forms a comprehensive highway transportation system, making road transportation in Zhengzhou exceptionally convenient. Thanks to its unparalleled geographical advantage and the ever-expanding transportation infrastructure, Zhengzhou has firmly established its role as the core transportation hub in China's central region. As a strategic location facilitating east-west and north-south connectivity, its position is indispensable and critically important.

Logically, even without waterway transportation, these cities could manage their daily transportation needs. So, why the necessity for adding another mode of transportation? Let's set aside the canal topic for a moment and focus our attention on these six provinces.

Deep Economic Analysis

A deeper economic analysis reveals subtle differences and unique characteristics in the economic conditions of these six provinces. Henan, as the major province of the Central Plains, possesses rich cultural heritage but lags behind in terms of per capita income. Even its capital, Zhengzhou, has not surpassed other non-capital cities in terms of economic prosperity.

Jiangxi faces a more complex situation. While online discussions frequently revolve around the question "Why doesn't the 'Jiang' in 'Jiang, Zhejiang, and Shanghai' refer to Jiangxi?" reflecting the aspirations and efforts of Jiangxi residents to integrate into a larger economic zone, reality presents a rather stark picture. Jiangxi has encountered considerable challenges and difficulties in its attempts to integrate into the Jiang, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Anhui economic zone, making its integration path exceptionally arduous.

Guangxi's situation is similar. Beyond its distinct cultural and linguistic characteristics, its economic development remains relatively subdued when juxtaposed with neighboring Guangdong, a renowned economic powerhouse. Compared to these provinces, Anhui enjoys a slight advantage due to its proximity to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, reaping some economic benefits from their proximity. However, becoming a true economic giant remains a long-term goal for Anhui.

Hubei, despite its advantageous location in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, has not achieved full integration into the Yangtze River Valley Economic Zone. Its economic interconnection and collaborative development need further deepening. Hunan, while geographically close to the Pearl River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, faces significant obstacles and challenges in terms of actual economic integration and interaction, hindering its true integration into this national economic region.

Therefore, the economic status of these six provinces can be summarized as "marginalization." They are adjacent to economically developed regions but struggle to achieve deep integration. What has caused this situation? The answer may be readily apparent: the absence of a canal connecting these provinces to economically developed regions.

High-Cost Canal Excavation

In this canal excavation initiative, Jiangxi stands out with its remarkable momentum. It has demonstrated remarkable boldness by pledging a staggering 320 billion Yuan to dig a colossal canal traversing Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Guangdong. Once this ambitious Zhejiang-Jiangxi-Guangdong Canal blueprint becomes reality, it will completely reshape the water transportation landscape between North and South China, transforming Jiangxi into the golden waterway connecting the Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta. This will usher in a new era of unrestricted water transportation. Simultaneously, Jiangxi's abundant natural resources will benefit from this aquatic highway, enabling unprecedented efficiency in their circulation.

Compared to the weight limitations of rail transportation, the opening of the canal signifies the effortless transportation of thousands or tens of thousands of tons of cargo, injecting powerful momentum into the economic development of Jiangxi and the entire region. Anhui, exhibiting foresight, took a step ahead of other provinces by commissioning a trial run of its canal last year. The opening of the Jiang-Huai Canal has successfully alleviated the predicament of regions along the middle and upper reaches of the Huai River and the Yangtze River, previously compelled to navigate detours. The overall voyage has been shortened by a minimum of 200 kilometers.

This upcoming canal is poised to intertwine the future of water transportation in Guangxi and Hunan. As one of the critical channels for these two provinces to access the sea, the completion of the Pinglu Canal holds profound significance. Guangxi, blessed with exceptional port resources, has long relied on neighboring Guangdong for import and export trade, a situation that undoubtedly evokes a sense of "frustration" and helplessness within the province.

To accelerate the realization of the grand vision of port prosperity, the smooth opening of the canal is deemed a crucial breakthrough. While the project is currently under construction with meticulous planning, it is expected to be fully completed and operational by 2026.

Beyond the Pinglu Canal, Hunan is pushing forward with another critical canal project: the Xiang-Guangxi Canal. The total investment of 150 billion Yuan reflects the immense hopes Hunan has placed on this waterway. The vision of "northward access to the Yangtze River and southward access to the Pearl River" offers Hunan unprecedented opportunities. Upon the canal's completion, Hunan will enter a new era of water transportation, achieving unparalleled connectivity and freedom. Whether it's economic exchanges with the Yangtze River Delta, in-depth collaborations with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, or seamless access to Beibu Gulf via the convenient route of the Pinglu Canal, Hunan will enjoy three seaports serving as gateways to the world.

This is undoubtedly a grand endeavor to drive economic development in Hunan and the entire region, ushering in unprecedented growth opportunities and vitality.

Hubei, also blessed with a network of waterways, is actively engaged in canal construction. Compared to the previous provinces, it is undertaking an exceptionally large-scale project

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