<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Southern Min </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Hokkien POJ </Th> <Td> Kian - hâng - tāi - ūn - hô </Td> </Tr> <P> The Grand Canal, known to the Chinese as the Beijing--Hangzhou Grand Canal (Jīng - Háng Dà Yùnhé), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the longest as well as one of the oldest canal or artificial river in the world and a famous tourist destination . Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou, linking the Yellow River and Yangtze River . 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). The Yuan and Ming dynasties significantly rebuilt the canal and altered its route to supply their capital Beijing . </P> <P> The total length of the Grand Canal is 1,776 km (1,104 mi). Its greatest height is reached in the mountains of Shandong, at a summit of 42 m (138 ft). Ships in Chinese canals did not have trouble reaching higher elevations after the pound lock was invented in the 10th century, during the Song dynasty (960--1279), by the government official and engineer Qiao Weiyue . The canal has been admired by many throughout history including Japanese monk Ennin (794--864), Persian historian Rashid al - Din (1247--1318), Korean official Choe Bu (1454--1504), and Italian missionary Matteo Ricci (1552--1610). </P>

What was the grand canal and why was it built