Expanding the Framework of Canal Research and Its Connection to the Ocean and the Great Wall

This paper summarizes the research history of the canal(or Grand Canal) until 2023 and predicts the direction of future research. The canal mentioned in this paper covers the concept of an artificial waterway connecting the south and the north of Chinese history since the Sui Dynasty, but it mainly refers to the Grand Canal of the Ming-Qing period, which connects the Capital city, Beijing, and Hangzhou.First, the expansion of the frame of canal research is the connection between canal and the ocean. As canal research progressed, the concept of the 'The Age of the Grand Canal'(1415-1784) emerged, and during this period, maritime policy and the logistics system of the Grand Canal came to be explained in conjunction. Recently, a civilizational perspective has also emerged that identifies the Grand Canal as a connecting line between Continental Civilization and Maritime Civilization.Second, expanding the frame of canal research is the connection between the canal and the Great Wall. Amid the progress of canal research, the Great Wall, symbolizing disconnection, has attracted new attention as it contrasts with the canal, symbolizing connection. However, the story of the defense of the north side surrounding the Great Wall was also closely linked to the logistics system of the Grand Canal. As an example, taking the Tumu Incident(1449), I analyzed how the Great Wall and the Grand Canal are linked in three dimensions.Finally, I emphasized that our work to accompany the canal's connection to the ocean and the Great Wall is to change our stereotypes about the canal. If we break the conventional wisdom that considered the end of the canal as both ends, the research boundary of the Grand Canal will also extend to the "Beyond Beijing."