The Tongji Canal was one of the great works of the Sui dynasty, dug in the early seventh century as part of the Grand Canal. The emperor Yang ordered it built to link the Yellow River with the Huai River, and it carried grain, soldiers and tribute across the plain for centuries. At its height, it was the main artery between the north and the rich Yangtze delta. It silted up and was abandoned after the Song dynasty, and parts of it were buried under farmland. UNESCO listed the surviving sections as part of the Grand Canal in 2014.
Shangqiu, in eastern Henan, has a very long history. It was a capital of the Shang people, early in Chinese history, and later an important city on the canal. The Xiayi section, and the site at Liuzi, are places where archaeologists have exposed the old channel. What you see is a broad depression in the field, with banks and the remains of a wharf or a lock, and information boards explaining what it was. It is a modest sight, but it shows how a canal that carried an empire has faded into the farmland.
The surrounding plain is very flat and very fertile, a land of wheat, maize, sesame and sweet potatoes, laced with irrigation channels and poplar windbreaks. Villages are brick built, and there are small temples and graves among the fields. Summer is hot and humid, and winter is cold and dry, with fog common. Roads are straight, and traffic is mostly trucks, farm tractors and three-wheeled carts. Dust from harvested fields is common in autumn.
The nearest town of any size is Bozhou, in neighbouring Anhui province, with about a hundred and seventy thousand people, while Shangqiu has fuel, hotels and restaurants. Bozhou is famous for traditional Chinese medicine and for a strong spirit made from sorghum. As in all of China, foreign visitors should check the local rules before bringing a motorcycle. Come in spring, when the fields are bright green, or in autumn, when the maize is gold. The canal is hard to see, but it is a good reason to slow down.