Pinglu Canal Lock Hubs: Madao, Qishi and Qingnian

The canal joins inland river levels to sea level across a 65-metre drop. Each hub holds back a reach of the canal with twin-line ship locks that raise or lower vessels in stages. The hubs also divide and regulate water along the route — without them, neither the Class I channel standard nor 5,000-tonne navigation would be possible.

Madao, in the upstream Nanning section, is the canal's controlling hub and its largest single work. According to the Guangxi government press conference, its ship lock set two world records: the largest water-saving inland ship lock and the greatest water-level difference handled by a water-saving lock.

A water-saving lock recycles the water released at each lockage into side basins and reuses it for the next fill. Public reports put the water saving at around 60% per operation — critical for keeping the canal's long-term water balance sustainable.

Qishi hub sits mid-route in the Lingshan county section of Qinzhou, carrying the middle step of the descent and tying the upstream water level set by Madao to the lower reaches. Like Madao and Qingnian, it is built with twin-line locks, so ships can be locked up and down simultaneously.

Qingnian hub lies downstream, close to Qinzhou, and is the last hub vessels pass before the sea. Once through its locks, vessels are at near-sea level and enter the river-sea transition waters of Qinzhou Bay, heading for the seaport terminals at Qinzhou Port.

In May 2026, installation of the hubs' steel structures was completed, marking the full completion of the main works; the hubs entered service with the canal's opening on September 16, 2026.

Although built for shipping, the three hubs also serve flood control, ecological and water-resource functions along the Qinjiang valley — part of why the project is classified as a combined water-conservancy and navigation scheme.