Water transportation of China has a long history. Early in Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 BC), there were sailing boats. Great Canal of Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 AD) provided great convenience for south-north water transport. In Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), Zheng He (1371 - 1433 AD) navigated across the seas seven times and reached the eastern coast of Africa on one of his voyage.

China has numerous rivers and a long coastline, which contribetes to its advantageous water transportation. Yangtze River is the most important inland shipping artery. Its main stream, from Yibin in Szechuan province to the sea, has a total length of 2,813 km and is navigable all year aound. Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing are important ports along the river. Pearl River, Songhua River, Heilongjiang River, Huaihe River and Beijing-Hangzhou Canal are also of considerable navigational value.

China has favorable conditions for sea transportation, with numerous harbors in such cities as Shanghai, Dalin, Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Qingdao, Ningbo, Xiamen, Guangzhou and so on. There are ocean-going ships sailings from these ports to more than 150 countries and regions all over the world.