Dramatic morning scene over the Emperor’s Canal: Parts of the world’s longest man-made waterway were already built more than 2,400 years ago. The canal is more than 1,800 kilometers long and connects Beijing with Hangzhou; it is also used for irrigation. Long barges transport goods like coal or building materials on it. However, the old structure is suffering from a lack of water. As a result, it is sometimes impassable and has thus lost at least its transregional significance.