大运河河南段

大运河河南段

大运河是以人工河道为主形成的国家核心水道网络体系，特指中国各朝代传承的南北运河网络体系。历史上各阶段的大运河可以冠以朝代的名称，如秦汉大运河、隋唐大运河、明清大运河等。隋唐大运河以洛阳为中心，以通济渠、永济渠为“人”字状两大撇捺延伸，沟通了海河、黄河、淮河、长江、钱塘江五大水系，长达3000千米，北通涿郡（今北京），南达余杭（今杭州），建成了以西安和洛阳为核心的全国性高等级水路运输通道，被认为是大运河发展史上最重要的标志。

河南省境内的大运河遗址主要分布在洛阳、郑州、开封、商丘、焦作、新乡、鹤壁、安阳和濮阳9个城市。从隋唐至宋元长达700多年的时间里，河南一直是大运河的中心。在历史上，大运河河南段充分发挥了政治、经济、社会作用，其通过水道连接南北，大大加强了中国南北的沟通；同时也促进了洛阳、开封、郑州、商丘等城市的发展，推动了中原城市经济的繁荣。

当前，大运河河南段正进一步开发运河沿线的自然景观资源、生态系统资源、古建筑资源以及人文资源。2014年6月，联合国教科文组织将中国大运河列入《世界遗产名录》。

Henan Sections of the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is a national network of artificial waterways that specifically refers to the north-south canal system constructed through several dynasties in China. The sections dug in different historical periods are usually named after the dynasties, such as the Qin-Han Grand Canal, the Sui-Tang Grand Canal, and the Ming-Qing Grand Canal.

At the center of the Sui-Tang Grand Canal is Luoyang, from which the waterway runs in a herringbone shape, with the Yongji Canal running northward to Zhuojun (present-day Beijing) and the Tongji Canal southward to Yuhang (present-day Hangzhou). The Sui-Tang Grand Canal thus extends 3,000 kilometers and connects the five water systems – Haihe, Yellow, Huaihe, Yangtze, and Qiantang. It forms a national high-level water route centered on Luoyang and is considered the most important milestone in the history of the Grand Canal.

The Grand Canal sites within Henan Province are located in nine cities – Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Shangqiu, Jiaozuo, Xinxiang, Hebi, Anyang, and Puyang. For a period of more than 700 years from the Sui and the Tang to the Song and the Yuan dynasties, Henan remained the center of the Grand Canal. The local sections had played an important political, economic and social role by strengthening the connection and communication between northern and southern China, promoting the development of Luoyang, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou, and Shangqiu, and invigorating the economy in the Central Plains.

Today, great efforts have been made to preserve the natural landscape ecosystem, ancient buildings, and cultural resources along the Henan sections. In June 2014, the Grand Canal was included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List.