Hydrological Conditions and Navigation of Inland Rivers in the Song Dynasty

This chapter discusses the navigation modes and the system of ports along the Yangtze River, hydrological conditions and navigation of canals and other inland rivers, and the regulations on the transportation of horses in the Southern Song Dynasty. The author of this book finds out that the strong and unpredictable winds above the Yangtze River made it difficult for boatmen to lift sails for a long time, and there were few occasions keep on sailing in a tailwind. Boats mainly sailed close to the banks or in river forks. Along the Yangtze River, a three-tier port system was created to provide safe anchoring places. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the Bianhe River was the only one among the four major canals that could be used as a completely navigable river course. In the early years of the Yuanfeng Reign, the section between Luoyang and Kaifeng of the Bianhe River was available for year-round navigation. Compared to the Bianhe River, the Huainan Canal, the Liangzhe West Canal, and the Liangzhe East Canal had relatively limited water advantages due to their different topographical features. The mechanism of weirs and sluice gates was established to resolve the connectivity issue between different sections of the Huainan, the Liangzhe West and the Liangzhe East canals, which were at varying water levels. The conventional approach was to convert weirs into sluice gates, and appoint supervisors and sluice soldiers responsible for operating the sluice gates. The canals were characterized by their shallow depth and gentle flow, which made them navigable for small boats using barge poles, oars, and sculls as their driving forces. The most stable driving force for inland river boats was the act of towing on the inland rivers. The Southern Song Dynasty established two systems to guarantee the transportation of horses in batches. The first system was a transportation system that included convoy chiefs, veterinarians, and horse-pullers. The second was a support system that comprised directorates, bureaus, prefectures, counties along the route, and officials of the postal stations. Additionally, systems of quantitative assessment, rewards, and penalties were established.