Xiongan plans to excavate two canals to Beijing, Tianjin

Hebei province is considering excavating two canals to provide another transport option from Xiongan New Area to Beijing and Tianjin, thepaper.cn reported Friday.

The Beijing-Xiongan canal would be 230 kilometers, while the Baoding-Tianjin canal would be 200 kilometers, according to the report.

A feasibility study is being carried out into the plan.

In early June, the Ministry of Transport conducted a field survey in Xiongan, which included visiting sites along the two canals. The team was headed by Chen Shengying, head of the ministry's transport planning and research institute.

About two weeks later, the provincial transport authority sent a team to Beijing to discuss Xiongan's water transport blueprint.

Tang Jianxin, head of the team, said that the short-term, mid-term and long-term plans for water transportation in Xiongan New Area should be implemented as soon as possible.

He also hoped that a three-year plan would be drafted soon and be included in the 13th Five-Year Plan of the Ministry of Transport.

Historically Baoding was connected by waterway via Baiyangdian to Tianjin. Inland water transport from Baoding to Tianjin started in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), from Baoding through Fuhe River to Baiyangdian Lake, and finally joined the Haihe River in Tianjin.

Fuhe River, Baiyangdian Lake, Daqing River were important inland shipping channels between Tianjin and Baoding for hundreds of years during the Ming and Qing dynasties.