Lingqu North Pound Extension Canal (Qin Lingqu Northern Stepped Pound)
Lingqu North Pound · Northern Qin Lingqu Pound
Qin 214 BCE to Tang 825 CE (Lingqu North pound)·Qin imperial (Shi Huang–Shi Lu) Lingqu Yue conquest hydraulic·🇨🇳 Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xing'an County, Lingqu Canal North pound stepped extension 1.8 km north of main divide, China
About
About Lingqu North Pound Extension Canal (Qin Lingqu Northern Stepped Pound)
North pound stepped extension (220 m) 1.8 km north of Lingqu Canal main divide (Hua Mouth 214 BCE Qin), Xing'an County, Guangxi 25.62N. Canal pound 1.2 km × 8 m × 1.5 m stepped with 3 original Qin granite pound-lock gates (8×4 m each) retaining 1.0 m lift each — earliest pound locks globally pre-983 CE European. North extension feeds Xiang River upper navigation. Gates are balanced stone swing (flash-lock) with granite pivot sockets. Qin Shi Huang 214 BCE commissioned Shi Lu; Tang 825 CE repaired north pound. Still partly navigable bamboo raft. Threatened by Guilin tourism boat wake and granite gate vandalism.
Why it mattersNorth stepped pound with 3 earliest pound-locks globally 214 BCE — predates Europe by 1200 years, Qin Yue conquest logistics core.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Granite swing gate pivot technique — balanced vs flash
Theories
- 01Lingqu north as Yue campaign supply line vs grain transport after conquest
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.214 BCE (Qin Shi Lu original 3 granite gates), Tang 825 CE repair
- Period
- Qin 214 BCE to Tang 825 CE (Lingqu North pound)
- Culture
- Qin imperial (Shi Huang–Shi Lu) Lingqu Yue conquest hydraulic
- Builders
- Shi Lu Qin engineers under Qin Shi Huang (Zhao Tuo campaign)
- Purpose
- North stepped pound extension 1.2 km 3 granite gates 1.0 m lift each for Xiang River navigation — earliest pound lock system
- Abandoned
- still partly navigable bamboo raft
- Rediscovered
- 1974 Lingqu north pound granite gates mapped; 1980s earliest pound lock claim 214 BCE
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
214 BCE
Qin Shi Lu 3 granite pound-locks 1.0 m lift each 8×4 m
825 CE
Tang repair north pound after An Lushan
1974
Lingqu north pound 3 gates measured earliest lock
On the ground
Structures & features
25.6200° N · 110.6800° E · 220 m · 2 mapped features
Granite Pound-Lock Gate 1 (8×4 m ×1.0 m lift)
structureQin 214 BCE granite pound-lock 8×4 m 1.0 m lift — earliest lock globally
25.6210° N · 110.6810° ENorth Pound Stepped Canal (1.2 km × 8 m)
canal1.2-km stepped extension 8 m wide with 3 lifts 1.0 m each north to Xiang
25.6220° N · 110.6820° E