FLOWING TREASURE
The longest man-made river in the world — the Grand Canal — is a UNESCO heritage site and famous tourist destination
The Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the longest man-made river in the world and a famous tourist destination as well. And the river has been flowing for 2,500 years.
It was the “golden waterway” for transportation in ancient times. But now, it has become a treasure trove of cultures and a corridor of scenic spots and cultural innovation.
In the late Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC), Fuchai, the king of the State of Wu, ventured north to attack the State of Qi.
So, he ordered that a canal be constructed for trading purposes, as well as a way to ship supplies north. This canal became known as the Han Gou, or “Han Conduit”.
Work on it began in 486 BC, from south of Yangzhou city to north of Huai’an city in Jiangsu, East China.
Within three years, the Han Gou connected the Yangtze River with the Huaihe River. And with further development it becomes today’s Grand Canal.
The canal now runs between Beijing and Hangzhou over a length of 1,794 km. Its course is divided into seven sections from south to north, including the Jiangnan Canal, the Liyunhe Canal and the Tonghui River.
The Jiangsu section is the oldest part of the Grand Canal. And it covers the largest area along the Grand Canal.
To better protect the Grand Canal cultural heritage, Jiangsu province is promoting the construction of a Grand Canal cultural belt.
Huai’an, an ancient city that has a history of more than 2,200 years, is the starting point of Liyunhe Canal Cultural Corridor, which attracts more than 1 million tourists every year.
The local government has spent a lot of money to protect the corridor.
“A total investment of 26 billion yuan ($3.97 billion) will be used to develop the cultural corridor,” says Jiang Weilin, director of the Office of Liyunhe Canal Cultural Corridor.
“Six billion yuan has been spent to restore the scenery. And the corridor is designed as a place for international exchanges on canal cultures and a multifunctional cultural tourist resort.”
The Grand Canal also passes through the city of Wuxi and forms a turtle-shaped space in the famous ancient city. The Grand Canal Wuxi section is only 40.8 km in length, but it used to be the lifeblood of its economy.
In recent years, the city has made good use of the industrial heritage sites left along the Grand Canal and constructed several museums there, including the Wuxi Silk Industry Museum, the Wuxi Folk Music Museum and an Olympics museum. There, tourists can glimpse the urban features of modern Wuxi city along the ancient canal.
Due to environmental changes and the development of modern transportation, the function of the Grand Canal to move people and goods has gradually diminished. And some of the canal’s rivers have dried up and the water has been polluted.
But, to revive it, Yangzhou city along the canal built a permanent venue for the World Canal Cities Expo, and hosts the World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation headquarters.
Scientific and technological developments also help in the protection of the Grand Canal.
The digital management and monitoring platform of the Grand Canal Yangzhou section is now completed, and will monitor the heritage sites regularly.
The water network of the Grand Canal Suzhou section, another crucial city that is among the four canal cities in Jiangsu province, connects all the cultural heritages and places of interests in Suzhou. To Suzhou, it is both a world cultural heritage and a river closely related to their daily life.
The 15.5 km road for jogging along the canal is a favorite of Zhang Chen, an engineer working for the Grand Canal Suzhou Section monitor center. He often goes jogging there together with his family members.
“My father told me that when he was young, he used to swim in the canal with his friends. When ships coming from Zhejiang province brought watermelons and sugar cane to sell, they usually swam after those ships.”
Though few people swim in the canal now, running along it has become one of Suzhou’s most common fitness regimens. The route has just been selected as “the most beautiful in Jiangsu”.