Unification and standardization
In ancient China, many initiatives were undertaken to unify various areas of life.
Standardization and unification of the script were carried out in two formats: the so-called small seal script (quite complex), which was used for inscriptions carved in stone and official notices, and a simpler, more cursive, clerical script for everyday use – suitable for writing with a brush on bamboo strips, on silk, and later on paper, which was gradually perfected in the 1st century AD. Weights, measures, and currency were also standardized. An identical wheel gauge for wagon axles was introduced, which, due to deep ruts on rural roads, especially in loess areas, was necessary to improve transport efficiency.
Transport infrastructure
The construction of strategic roads radiating from the capital began on a large scale, which – similar to the Roman Empire – served mainly military purposes, but were also used for the transport of people and goods. Over 6,500 km of imperial roads were built – as many as in the Roman Empire. One of them, the “straight road,” led through the desert areas of Ordos to the border with the steppe territories of the Nomads.
For the implementation of transport and irrigation, a network of canals was created, with an emphasis on increasing agricultural production. Water routes were mapped out in the southern direction, and canals were built to enable water transport over a distance of nearly 2,000 km, from the Yangtze (Long River) to Canton. The empire’s resources were mobilized, among other things, to extend the Grand Canal from Hangzhou northwards, across the Yangtze to Yangzhou, and then in a north-westerly direction to Luoyang. By 609, it was extended north-eastwards to the Tianjin and Beijing region. By utilizing local waterways and lakes, it was possible to deliver food and goods by barge from the lower reaches of the Yangtze, further through northern China, and to strengthen the northern border, as well as to feed the capital region. Great granaries were also built – each had a capacity of 33 million bushels.
Thanks to its location near the junction of the Grand Canal and the Huang He (Yellow River), barges from the “grain granary” located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze flowed into Kaifeng – 3 times larger than ancient Rome. Cheap water transport facilitated local and interregional trade along the Grand Canal – the Yangtze River, its tributaries and lakes, and other waterways and canal systems. The waterways were approximately 48,000 km long and formed the most populous trade area in the world. For example, in northern China, there were large deposits of coal and iron ore, which, thanks to water transport, were available in the capital at low prices.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 6/2011.