COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS
STAMP 1
STAMP 1
STAMP 1
In 1998, the People's Republic of China issued three postage stamps honoring the Língqú 灵渠 Magic Transport Canal:
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STAMP 1 shows the spade snout dividing the waters of the Xiang River flowing from above, with excess waters flowing over the low dams and down into the riverbed. Canal boats head in both directions, to the left [ to and from the Bei qu canal ] and to the right [ to and from the Lingqu 灵渠 Magic Transport Canal ]. The town of Xing'an is on the right and downstream.
STAMP 2
STAMP 1
STAMP 1
Stamp 2 shows the Lingqu 灵渠 Magic Transport Canal winding past the First Balancing Weir, with excess water moving over the weir to the left, back into the Xiang River, leaving canal waters flowing on through the town of Xing'an, the present-day Water Street commercial area. Passing the weir was a memorable experience for many passengers.
STAMP 3
STAMP 1
STAMP 3
Stamp 3 shows an early Lingqu 灵渠 Magic Transport Canal lock, a type of flash lock with a temporary blockade of the canal using timber braces [ placed in masonry slots ] with reed or bamboo mats. When the diagonal timber was released, the blockade collapsed, and the surge of water carried the barge riding through and on downstream.
LINGQU MEMORIAL
On the west side of the town of Xing’an, along the main highway between Xing’an and Guilin, near the location where what remains of the Língqú 灵渠 Magic Transport Canal flows under the highway, is a memorial to the builders of the Língqú 灵渠 Magic Transport Canal.
In the memorial, a series of sculpted super-sized human laborers and supervisors, one figure stands supreme: the Emperor, China’s First Emperor, Shi Hwangdi, the Emperor for whose tribe, the Chin, all of China is named.
Un-appreciated is the fact that this canal, the Lingqu 灵渠 Magic Transport Canal, was crucial to the creation of the unified China—Shi Hwangdi built the canal to transport and supply troops sent to conquer tribes to the south, thus accomplishing the unification.
