2nd channel of Grand Canal's Hangzhou section now navigable

Around 9 am on July 18, with the sound of a whistle, 16 cargo ships divided into two groups and set sail from the Babao Ship Lock, heading towards the Qiantang River and the second channel of the Hangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

This marked the opening of navigation on the second channel of the Hangzhou section of the canal.

Captain Zhu Guirong of the Zhejiang Jiaxing Cargo Ship 02358 has been navigating these waters for 20 years. This time, his ship led the way into the inland river through the Babao Ship Lock.

"Traveling from Jiaxing to Hangzhou via the canal is now at least six to seven hours quicker," Zhu said. In the past, when shipping goods through the old canal, during peak seasons, it would take seven to 10 days of waiting at the Sanbao Ship Lock to enter the inland river.

The captain couldn't contain his excitement, saying, "I have witnessed history!"

The opening of the second channel has resolved a crucial bottleneck in the provincial inland waterway network for thousand-tonnage ships.

Unlike the old canal, the new channel runs south from the Hangzhou-Shanghai Railway Line, along the borders of Linping with Tongxiang, Haining, and Qiantang. It leads directly to the Babao Ship Lock, with a total length of 26.4 kilometers. After the opening, thousand-tonnage ships can sail directly from Shandong province to Hangzhou, bypassing the city center and entering the Qiantang River.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the longest and largest ancient canal in the world, stretches all the way from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south. In Zhejiang province, the canal plays a vital role in transporting bulk materials such as coal, oil, steel, and construction materials.

"The old canal passes through the urban area of Hangzhou. Now, with the opening of the new channel, its main function will be cargo transportation. In the future, the old canal will focus more on tourism and sightseeing," explained Peng Junying, director of the office of the Second Channel of the Canal in Linping.

The canal's urban section will mainly offer water passenger transportation and tourism. Water buses, sightseeing boats, and yachts will be the primary means of transportation, offering the perfect chance to experience the unique charm of Hangzhou.