The ancient towpath, located in Shaoxing section of the East Zhejiang Canal, goes through Shaoxing from east to west and connects Cao’ejiang River in the east. The towpath not only served as a passageway for boat trackers but also protected boats from storms in ancient time.  

The eastern section of this ancient towpath was first built before the Qin Dynasty while the western section was constructed in Western Jin Dynasty. The canal along the towpath was dredged every year. It was repaired during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng and Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. The Shaoxing Public Water System Construction Committee was set up in 1947 to strengthen the management of land and water transportation in the region.   The eastern section of this ancient towpath mostly borders on the canal only on one side and was built along the bank. A small part of the eastern section has waters on both sides. The towpath in the water is like a bridge, with flat stone plates on stone piers.  

One section of the ancient towpath is 2.5 kilometers long, stretching from the Shangxie Bridge at the eastern tip of Keqiao Town to the Kehua Bridge west to Keqiao town. The towpath here is a little bit curved so that the impact of waves on the base can be offset to a certain extent. The towpath with water on only one side is usually seen in a narrow river. Block stones are so laid that the seams do not appear at one place. Some part of one-side towpath is like a bridge, one meter above water. Of the towpath in the canal, only three parts named respectively Shibadongtou, Baodaiqaoduan and Yudaiqiaoduan are in a good state of preservation. They are either built like a dam or like a flat bridge. The towpath has arched bridges every few hundred meters so that boats can go through under the towpath. Small boats can sail through under the towpath directly in some parts.   

With modern transport system coming in, the ancient towpath no longer functions as a passageway for boat trackers. It is now a tourist attraction of rivers and lakes. After a complete repair in 1990’s, the independent sections of the antiqued towpath are now reintegrated into one single connected towpath. The rainbow on the water is back.  

It has been on the list of cultural relics under national protection since 1988. The protected section starts from the Shangxie Bridge in Keqiao town and ends at Banqiao Bridge in Qianqing town, 7.5 km in total length.