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History » Huaiyin

In former times Huai’an was a city of considerable importance. Until the 12th century the Huai River flowed to the sea some distance to the north, and the city was served by the section of the Grand Canal between the Huai and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). A county had been established there in the 2nd century bce. In the early 4th century ce Huai’an became the administrative seat of a commandery (district controlled by a commander) and was walled. In 583, under the Sui dynasty (581–618), it received the name Chu prefecture, by which it was known until the 12th century.

With the completion of the New Bian Canal in 607, it became a city of major economic importance as a canal port on the route by which grain was sent from the Yangtze northwest to the capital cities of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) in Shaanxi province and Luoyang in Henan province. The city also functioned as a collecting centre for tax grain from the rich rice-growing l