City, the island of Montreal, province of Quebec, Canada. The Canal of La Chine is used to avoid the Sault-Saint-Louis, the largest rapid of the Saint Lawrence river. The name was given by early explorers who thought the Saint Lawrence flowed into the China Sea. In 1689 the town was destroyed by the Iroquois. Just below the rapids is the famous Caughnawaga where Catherine Tekakwitha spent her last years.