Does anyone know of any interesting papers or books on the grand canal? I'm writing a paper on it and I'm particularly interested in economic histories of the canal, or how negligent upkeep led to floods, deforestation and other disasters. My time period is from the Sui to Ching. Elixir: a history of water and humankind by Brian Fagan has a great chapter on the canal I'm reading now.
Well, if you want to know more about the early history, some texts on the Tang dynasty or the Tang sections in Cambridge's History of China cover a little bit of that. The greatest period of well maintained operation and expansion comes under the Ming though, and I'd recommend giving Timothy Brook's The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China a look as it has a real good focus on those economic policies and issues pertaining to the Grand Canal.