The road of Cao Yun reveals the legend of the Sui and Tang Dynasty Grand Canal and Liyang Cang back

Mondo History Updated on 2024-01-30

The Grand Canal of ancient China, with its thousand-year-old magnificence and magic, has always been talked about by future generations. Among them, the story of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty digging the Grand Canal, taking a dragon boat, and touring the Jiangdu (now Yangzhou) is still told as a joke more than a thousand years later. However, the true value of the Grand Canal lies not only in the emperor's play, but also in the hidden underground way of transport.

As the main function of the Grand Canal at that time, Cao Yun mainly transported supplies from the imperial capital, especially grain. The national granaries distributed along the canal have solved major problems such as the storage of war materials and the transportation of grain to Beijing through Cao Yun. Someone described it: "The glorious Sui and Tang Grand Canals are half above ground and half underground." And this "underground" refers to the Liyang Cang, Luokou Cang, Huiluocang, Heyang Cang, Taiyuan Cang, etc., which were built in the Guanluo area.

After Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne, in order to allocate national resources, especially food resources, to consolidate the unity of the country, he ordered the digging of the Grand Canal. This water system connecting the Hai River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, the Yangtze River and the Qiantang River has become the main artery of north-south transportation in ancient China, with a total length of more than 2,700 kilometers. The ruins of the three large royal granaries, including Jiacang, Huiluocang and Liyangcang, are large-scale, confirming the military and economic functions of the Grand Canal, and demonstrating the traditional concept of "food for the people".

Hanjia ** in the north of the old city of Luoyang, built in 605, for the royal granary, after the Sui, Tang, Northern Song Dynasty three dynasties, along with more than 500 years after abandonment. The total area of Cangcheng is about 430,000 square meters, and a total of 287 warehouses have been discovered, which are composed of warehouse area, life management area and Caoyun wharf area. In the eighth year of Xuanzong Tianbao of the Tang Dynasty, the amount of grain stored in Jiacang accounted for nearly half of the total number of grains in the country's major large-scale grain warehouses, becoming "the first granary in the world".

In the excavation of Hanjiacang, many granaries unearthed inscription bricks, which recorded the location of the granary, the variety and quantity of stored grain, the grain **, the year and month of the cellar, the official position and name of the transportation and management personnel. The grain locations are diverse, covering Suzhou and Chuzhou in the south of the Yangtze River, Xingzhou, Dezhou, Puzhou, Weizhou and other places in North China. This diversity demonstrates the country's strong ability to allocate resources throughout the country, as well as its support for national unity and economic development.

Huiluocang is a large granary located in the northeast of Luoyang City, it is estimated that there are about 700 warehouses, the number is far more than the "three hundred cellars" recorded in the history books. Cangcheng is 1140 meters long from east to west, 355 meters wide from north to south, the city wall is 3 meters thick, the management area is in the middle, and the warehouse cellar area is on the east and west sides. Grain storage in peacetime and a bunker in wartime ensured the daily consumption of grain and the security of strategic reserves in the eastern capital.

The need for management and protection made these official warehouses supplemented by roads, warehouse walls, moats and suspected management institutions and other supporting buildings, forming a "city" with all kinds of organs. Huiluocang City is adjacent to Luoyang City, and its architectural ruins reveal the unique charm of the ancient granary. The discovery of the remains of the Cao Canal further confirmed the close connection between Cangcheng and the Grand Canal, and realized the careful transportation of grain.

Through the study of Huiluocang, archaeologists have also reconstructed the construction process of Cangcheng. First of all, dig a hole with a diameter of 13-17 meters and a depth of 1 at the mouth of the cellar3-1.The 7-meter circular foundation groove is rammed in layers, the plaster at the mouth of the cellar is reinforced, the wooden planks are laid, and then three layers of reed mats are laid, and a straw roof is built above the warehouse. This design makes it possible to extend the storage period of grain to 9 years.

The excavation of granary sites such as Liyangcang and Huiluocang is of great significance for the study of the official warehouse management system, the transportation situation, the agricultural economy and the field endowment system, the characteristics of large-scale storage buildings, the structure of grain cellars, and the grain storage methods in the Sui and Tang dynasties. These sites show the different types of hierarchical systems of transport that were established around the Grand Canal during the Sui Dynasty.

As we dig deeper into the Grand Canal, we find that the Grand Canal is a granary in peacetime and a bunker in wartime. Storing and transporting war-ready grain is a major function of the official warehouse. According to historical records, when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty conquered Liaodong, he used Liyang Cang to transport grain and grass materials from the Jianghuai region to the north through the Yongji Canal.

Part of the Grand Canal is still in service today, and it is a masterpiece of Chinese history that is no less than the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. In 2014, the "Huiluocang and Liyangcang Grain Storage Sites of the Sui Dynasty in Henan" were selected as one of the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China" and joined the world heritage family. The legacy of these ancient people's efforts to ensure national food security has become a precious heritage of the world.

The road of Cao Yun, witnessing the thousand-year-old wind and rain, the treasure time of the Grand Canal.

This article shows in detail the splendor of the Grand Canal in the Sui and Tang dynasties and the mystery of Liyangcang and Huiluocang. Through the in-depth excavation of these historical relics, we seem to travel back in time and feel the great weight of the country's economic and military operations in that era.

First of all, through the governance of Emperor Yang of Sui and the excavation of the Grand Canal, the article reveals the need to unify the country's resources at that time. The Grand Canal has become the main artery of north-south transportation, and the granaries such as Hanjiacang and Huiluocang are the concrete embodiment of its economic and military functions. The high level of state management during this period makes people sigh at the grand planning and organizational ability of ancient China.

Secondly, the archaeological excavations of Hanjiacang and Huiluocang revealed the ingenious way of storing grain at that time. From the scale, structure and management of the granary, it shows the good intentions of the people in the grain reserve at that time. In particular, the use of water transportation has become an important means to solve the problems of storing war readiness materials and transporting grain. This advanced management system and technical means were undoubtedly an advanced military and economic system in the social environment at that time.

Looking back on the construction process of Liyang Cang and Huiluocang, it is found that they have carried out in-depth research on grain storage, not only have good infrastructure, but also use multi-level ramming technology, which provides a safer and more reliable environment for grain storage. This exquisite handling of technical details cannot help but be admired.

The article also briefly mentions the current state of the Grand Canal, pointing out that some of the sections are still in service, and they are as famous as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and have become great masterpieces in Chinese history. This not only emphasizes the inheritance of ancient wisdom, but also reflects the thousand-year-old Chinese civilization.

Finally, the article successfully attracted the reader's interest with a wonderful title. Through the revelation of the way of Cao Yun, people deeply feel the outstanding achievements of ancient China in terms of economy and military. With profound historical insight and vivid description, the whole article introduces us to a fascinating and mysterious historical time and space, so that readers can have a deeper understanding of the Grand Canal and granary system in ancient China.

Overall, this review** fully demonstrates the in-depth thinking and interpretation of the article, and expresses full respect for the excavation and discovery of historical relics. Through the praise of the Grand Canal, Liyangcang and Huiluocang in the Sui and Tang dynasties, people cherish the great contributions of ancient Chinese civilization even more.

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