Gao Yuanjie has earned a PhD in history from Nankai University. He is an associate professor and postgraduate supervisor at the Institute of Canalology, Liaocheng University and member of the Environmental History Committee of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences. He has been the leader of multiple social science projects sponsored by the central government, the Ministry of Education, and provincial government (including the CPC History Research Project sponsored by the Shandong Provincial Government) and has participated in a number of major national projects in social sciences and other research fields. Gao has published more than 10 papers in various academic journals, including Journal of Historical Science, Journal of Chinese Social and Economic History, Agricultural History of China, Journal of National Museum of China, and National Maritime Research. One of his papers won Shandong Provincial Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award (third prize). He has also participated in the compilation of many monographs, including The Gazetteer of the Canals of China (Literature Review, Important Figures, and Milestones), Chronicle of the Shandong Section of the Grand Canal, The Grand Canal and the Chinese Civilization: Historical Materials, and History of China’s Ecological Environment (Multi-Volume Set).