The Grand Canal, one of the greatest project in Chinese history, is the longest river in the world which flows from Beijing to Hangzhou. The Grand Canal was built in the 4th century BC, and was finished at the end of 13th century. In the beginning, it was built to transport grain and later it was also used to transport other goods / merchandises. The areas along the Grand Canal gradually developed into the industrial and commercial center of China. What's more, it had long played a key role in the development of Chinese economy which strongly promoted personal exchanges and cultural communication between the southern and northern regions.