On the other hand, the grand canal is the archetypal megastructure, and it's got a strong claim to being the defining feature of China. If you look at the plan

On the other hand, the grand canal is the archetypal megastructure, and it's got a strong claim to being the defining feature of China. If you look at the planet on google earth, you can see a lot of human structure. Mines, fields, tree farms, deforestation, waste-water runoff - these things are often vast. I don't know if giant engineering projects really move the needle that much; we're already engaged in a giant engineering project, it's just a completely blind one with no actual goal.