Abstract: During the operation period, the aqueduct experiences the cyclic fatigue effect of temperature variation for long term, which may cause the deterioration of the concrete of the aqueduct, such as micro-crack, and gradually reduce the safety degree of the aqueduct. There is no specific design code for aqueduct design, and other relevant design codes don’t provide clear guidance on whether to consider thermal effects for aqueduct. Taking a rectangle aqueduct in Xinjiang as an example and through the finite element software, the aqueduct temperature field is obtained and its distribution law is analyzed. Furthermore, the applicability of vertical temperature gradient pattern recommended by bridge codes in aqueduct design is discussed. The results show that the maximum vertical positive temperature difference in summer is 35.8 ℃ when the aqueduct is running, and 24.5 ℃ when the aqueduct is not running. In winter, the maximum vertical negative temperature difference is −15.1 ℃ with running water, and −7.8 ℃ without running water. The maximum transverse positive temperature difference of the aqueduct is 18.5 ℃ and the maximum transverse negative temperature difference is 11.2 ℃. Large vertical and transverse temperature gradient will produce large temperature stress, which should be taken into account in design. The vertical temperature gradient of the example is similar to the vertical temperature gradient modes recommended by various bridge codes, but there are large differences in the characteristic values, indicating that the temperature gradient modes of bridge codes may not be directly applied to the temperature stress analysis of the aqueduct. The temperature field of aqueduct should be calculated and determined according to the structural form and operation conditions of the aqueduct.