Does it make sense to row from Hangzhou to Beijing? Two Internet influencers of Bilibili.com, a popular China-based app, gave an answer through their real experience. 

They rowed along the famous Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which starts from Beijing in the north and ends at Hangzhou in the south, and is the longest and largest-scale ancient canal in the world with a total length of 1,794 km and a history of 2,500 years. 

On February 10, two influencers who had no water sports experience at all, set off from Hangzhou’s Sanbao, planning to row their boat to Beijing within one month and a half. They posted their videos on Bilibili.com, which immediately drew wide attention.

However, after rowing for 5 km, they were taken back to the bank with stern warning for safety by law enforcement officers of Hangzhou Transport Administration Law Enforcement Team.

As some netizens put it, their action was both dangerous and impractical. Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is a busy channel with an average of about 400 large-scale vessels passing through Hangzhou downtown section of the canal every day, making it extremely dangerous for the sailing of small boats. Meanwhile, as novices in boating, they were even slower in speed than senior walkers on the banks. Besides, the fact that the canal is cut through does not mean that it is open to navigation throughout. Some parts of the canal are narrow with water gates, making it difficult for navigation.