The Grand Canal of China

[Canute VII]

The world's greatest canal is neither the Suez, Panama nor Kiel canal - it is the Grand Canal in China. In 2014, the Grand Canal was listed as a World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, it is not represented in game, so let's fix this.


Representing the Grand Canal

The oldest parts of the canal date back to the 5th century BC, but the various sections were first connected during the Sui dynasty (581–618 AD). Dynasties in 1271–1633 significantly rebuilt the canal and altered its route to supply their capital Beijing. It was built to enable successive Chinese regimes to transport surplus grain from the agriculturally rich Yangtze (Chang) and Huai river valleys to feed the capital cities and large standing armies in northern China. The Grand Canal was renovated almost in its entirety between 1411 and 1415 during the Ming dynasty Ships in Chinese canals did not have trouble reaching higher elevations after the pound lock was invented in the 10th century.

Spoiler: Maps

The canal should be represented by provincial modiifers ("The Grand Canal") applied to all provinces through which the canal ran..

The scholar Gu Yanwu of the early Qing dynasty (1644–1912) estimated that the previous Ming dynasty had to employ 47,004 full-time laborers recruited by the lijiacorvée system in order to maintain the entire canal system. It is known that 121,500 soldiers and officers were needed simply to operate the 11,775 government grain barges in the mid-15th century.

The modifiers should give +25% state maintenance, since such a long inland canal needed more attention than e.g. the Suez canal. I assume that all manpower effects are already sufficiently represented by Ming's relatively low military development.

Besides its function as a grain shipment route and major vein of river borne indigenous trade in China, the Grand Canal had long been a government-operated courierroute as well.

The modifiers should give both local trade power (e.g. +10%) and friendly movement speed (+10%). The province at the canal's end (Beijing) should get a -10% development cost modifier ("Destination of the Grand Canal"). Please note that the "Canals and Turnpikes" industrialization event has similar effects.

The Manchus established the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), and under their leadership the Grand Canal was overseen and maintained just as in earlier times. In 1855, the Yellow River flooded and changed its course, severing the course of the canal in Shandong.


Events connected to the Grand Canal


Repair the Grand Canal

Trigger conditions

Country is Emperor of China (only with MoH DLC activated)
Contry is Ming (without MoH DLC activated)
Country has biggest trade power in Beijing trade node
Meritocracy < 100% (only with MoH DLC activated)
Year is after 1500

Over the years the dikes of the great Yellow and Yangtse rivers have been eroded by the work of rodents. A lack of attention of the palace bureaucracy was certainly not helpful either. Also the Grand Canal, the economic lifeline of Beijing, suffers the same fate. We need to carefully ponder our options. Our advisor [name of admin advisor] proposes a plan to protect what has been buildt by our ancestors.

1. Repair all dikes! Effect: +10 Prestige + Country looses 0.8 yearly income
2. Repair only the dikes of the Grand Canal. Effect: +5 prestige + Country looses 0.3 yearly income
3. It is too costly. Effect: Loose 20 prestige

Follow up events can occur:


Flood!

Trigger conditions:
Month is March or April
Event "Repair the Grand Canal" has happened

This Spring the great rivers bring an unusual amount of water from the western mountains. Ultimately, if the flow rate exceeds the capacity of the river channel downstream, this results in flood.

(If option (1) in event "Repair the Grand Canal" was choosen

Fortunately, the river and canal dikes are fit to hold this onslaught.

Effect: Every owned province in either northern or southern China, that has either the Yellow or the Yangse river flowing through it or that has a Grand Canal modifier has a chance to get devastation, e.g.
[100 - current meritocracy]% chance to get -5 devastation
[current meritocracy]% chance nothing happens
(only with MoH DLC activated)

20% chance to get -5 devastation
80% chance nothing happens
(without MoH DLC)

(If option (2) in event "Repair the Grand Canal" was choosen

Unfortunately, the river dikes are not fit to hold this onslaught.

Effect: Every owned province in either northern or southern China, that has either the Yellow or the Yangse river flowing through it and that has not the Grand Canal modifier has a chance to get devastation, e.g.
5% chance to get -50% devastation
10% chance to get -25 devastation
15% chance to get -15 devastation
20% chance to get -5 devastation
50% chance nothing happens

(If option (3) in event "Repair the Grand Canal" was choosen

Unfortunately, the river and canal dikes are not fit to hold this onslaught.

Effect: Every province in either northern or southern China, that has either the Yellow or the Yangse river flowing through it or that has a Grand Canal modifier has a chance to get devastation, e.g.
5% chance to get -50% devastation
10% chance to get -25 devastation
15% chance to get -15 devastation
20% chance to get -5 devastation
50% chance nothing happens


Event "Restore the Grand Canal"

Trigger conditions:
Capital province is in the North China region
option (3) in event "Repair the Grand Canal" was choosen
the event "Flood!" has happened

The Grand Canal, liveline of our capital [capital name], has been reduced to rubble. With many dikes broken, pound locks fallen apart and river barges overturned, it is time to restore the Canal to its former glory.

1. Yes, we shall not accept this caprice of nature. Effect: loose 0.5 yearly income, loose 10% of max. manpower, gain 5 mandate (only with MoH DLC activated)
2. It's been a doomed project right from the beginning. Effect: loose 1 stability, all "Grand Canal" provincial modifiers are removed, capital province looses 3 random development.

If ruler is either "cruel" or "malevolent" then a third option will be present:

3. We will rebuild it. Confifcate the estates of our incompetent advisors! Effects: loose 50 administrative power, loose 10 meritocracy (only with MoH DLC activated), all current advisors leave the court, -1 possible advisors for 10 years


If the Emperor of China changes, then this event chain may be triggered again. Realistically, of course, it could be triggered several times during one dynasty's rule. But this would be too annoying for a player.

Naturally, PDX content designers could do this much better, so just take it for inspiration.

Spoiler: Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_(China)
http://blogs.umb.edu/buildingtheworld/waterworks/the-grand-canal-china/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Grand-Canal-China

 

[neondt]

Interesting idea. Way out of scope for what we're working on right now but I like the concept.

 

[Me_]

I would really love to see more variety added to the Chinese provinces - a lot of them feel samey and chhosing one overe the other (e.g. in conquest) doesn't feel important.

I would suggest bonus to the end province(s) depend on the control of the rest of the canal (e.g. via triggered modifier), to further emphasize the importance of maintaing as much of the canal as possible.

 

[NaiveCarto]

I am delighted to have read your post about advice on China, protecting the Grand Canal should be the top priority of one Chinese dynasty if it has capital on Beijing or the North Hebei, if this canal was cut, people in the capital and northern border soldiers would easily lost their supply for only Hebei, or that Northern China, is not enough rich on agriculture aspect ( or just on the government taxation aspect ) to feed the huge Empire capital and huge number of soldiers on Northern border against Mongol.

so, it is better to make sure these:

1, When capital setting on Beijing, it would prevent potential Northern border rebels, such as the successful Jingnan War against central government in Nanjing, and also make sure enough good supply line from the richest Jiangnan to the Northern border (or said to be "Nine border") so the empire capital and Nine border can be maintained.

2, For Hebei and even the Northern China is hard to feed the empire capital and Nine border, it is much more important to make an official supply line to convey resources in richest Jiangnan to poor and poor Beijing.

3, The Grand Canal makes cities on the line of canal to be flourishing, such as Linqing, Huai'an, Xuzhou, Ji'Ning, Tongzhou(northern one), Cangzhou,Dezhou if canal was not maintained, these cities would rapidly decline, and for this reason, it is hard for government to choose replace canal transport by inner sea transport, it would lead to a revolt.

4, Local government has employed people to maintain the Grand Canal and their most vital mission is Grand Canal maintenance, so they always expropriate the right of irrigation from the canal and also the river to the Canal of farmers, and also when there is flood, government always has to guarantee the availability of Grand Canal and often let the flood submerged farmland there, people there suffer from heavy unpaid free labor to maintain the Grand Canal and agriculture loss due to canal maintenance, these make common people there pauperization, and this is contributed to banditry which often raid boats on the Grand Canal.

5, The Grand Canal often need to be repaired for the great amount of salt of Huanghe water, especially the canal from Linqing to Xuzhou, has been repaired in 1411, while would be re-repaired during the Ming-Qing dynasty until the Huanghe river diversion in 1850s.
6, often there would be suggestions to change canal transportation to inner sea transportation, while this would hurt many people's profit so it is hard to make this suggestion be adopted, and when there are pirates, government would seek transform the inner sea transport to canal transport.

 

[Shalway]

Very correct and interesting advice. For a dynasty that ruled China, the dredging and maintenance of water conservancy projects is very important for its rule. Therefore, if you do not repair the canal, you should be reduced the mandate (MoH) or legitimacy.