By order of the Chinese Emperor, the players must obtain the highest reputation at the Court. To do so, the players help to build the Grand Canal of China and to construct the Forbidden City. The player who avoids riots and insurrections and who can prove their skill in developing the canal system to the Grand Coordinator has the best chances to win.

In Da Yunhe: Der Grosse Kaiserkanal, the players are Chinese canal inspectors in the year 1400 who are responsible for developing the canal system in the northern Chinese territory. In the first phase of a turn, the players draft action cards in order to use these in the second phase. The action cards have three actions, which all can be used partially or in whole, and in any possible playing order. The players can always get new tiles, and they have the option to build canal tiles on the board or in the Forbidden City. The players can use riot tiles against competitors to damage their competitor’s reputation at Court. The building of canals is rewarded with an instant gain of reputation. The building in the Forbidden City allows a leap forward at the end of the game in the final count.

In the third phase of each turn, the Great Coordinator inspects the development of the Grand Canal and grants additional points if it is possible to travel along the canal. If he steps on riot tiles, the player responsible for the territory with the riot loses reputation. In phase four, riot tiles that had been removed from the board might lead to an insurrection, with the player(s) responsible suffering a loss of reputation. In the fifth phase of the turn, the players return the used action cards and exchange the starting player marker, then the new starting player (clockwise from the next player) begins the next turn.

The players play as many turns necessary to allow the Great Coordinator four journeys along the Great Canal. The players gain reputation at Court by building canals and the Forbidden City and successful inspections by the Great Coordinator and lose reputation through insurrections and hostile actions of other players. The player with the highest reputation wins.