Song China's water transport revisited : a study of the 1077 commercial tax data

This paper provides an overall assessment of water transport in Song China based on the 1077 commercial tax data. The analysis demonstrates that the extension of waterway networks, especially the major waterways that linked the north and the south, greatly reduced transportation costs. Development of 11th century water transportation was due to two reasons: the emergence of a national market during the Tang–Song transition and the massive construction of canals by the government.