<P> In the late Spring and Autumn period ( 770 -- 476 BC ) , Fuchai , King of the State of Wu ( whose capital was in present - day Suzhou ) , ventured north to attack the State of Qi . He ordered a canal be constructed for trading purposes , as well as a means to ship ample supplies north in case his forces should engage the northern states of Song and Lu . This canal became known as the Han Gou ( 邗 沟 , `` Han Conduit '' ) . Work began in 486 BC , from south of Yangzhou to north of Huai'an in Jiangsu , and within three years the Han Gou had connected the Yangtze with the Huai River by means of existing waterways , lakes , and marshes . </P>
<P> In the late Spring and Autumn period ( 770 -- 476 BC ) , Fuchai , King of the State of Wu ( whose capital was in present - day Suzhou ) , ventured north to attack the State of Qi . He ordered a canal be constructed for trading purposes , as well as a means to ship ample supplies north in case his forces should engage the northern states of Song and Lu . This canal became known as the Han Gou ( 邗 沟 , `` Han Conduit '' ) . Work began in 486 BC , from south of Yangzhou to north of Huai'an in Jiangsu , and within three years the Han Gou had connected the Yangtze with the Huai River by means of existing waterways , lakes , and marshes . </P>
who initiated the construction of the grand canal
who initiated the construction of the grand canal
Fuchai , King of the State of Wu
Fuchai , King of the State of Wu