Clear water and soup run both sides of the river - the Grand Canal reappears with new vitality

　　Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 24th.

　　Xinhua News Agency reporter

　　The Grand Canal, connecting the north and the south, connecting the ancient and the modern, is the earliest, largest and longest man-made river in the world.

In an era dominated by water transportation, the Grand Canal has an irreplaceable role to moisten the people of one side.

　　Today, under the guidance of the new development concept, the protection, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal have opened a new chapter.

On April 28, the entire water flow of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was connected for the first time in a century; on June 24, the tourism channel of the Beijing-Hebei section of the Grand Canal was interconnected... The provinces and cities along the canal have combined the protection of the cultural heritage of the Grand Canal with the improvement of ecological environmental protection, and the famous cities along the route. The overall planning of the protection and restoration of famous towns, the integrated development of cultural tourism, and the transformation and upgrading of canal shipping has brought new vitality to the ancient Grand Canal.

Cultural heritage inherits thousands of years of memory

　　The ancient Grand Canal twists and turns for nearly 3,200 kilometers, spanning 8 provinces and cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, connecting the five major water systems of Haihe, Yellow River, Huaihe, Yangtze River and Qiantang River.

　　For thousands of years, rich cultural relics have been accumulated along the canal. In June 2014, the Grand Canal was included in the World Heritage List.

　　In July 2021, the "14th Five-Year" Implementation Plan for the Protection, Inheritance and Utilization of the Grand Canal Culture, prepared by the National Development and Reform Commission in conjunction with relevant departments, was released.

　　"After the new rain of Pufan, a tower shadow recognizes Tongzhou." Wang Weizhen's poem in the Qing Dynasty described the scene of the canal going north.

At that time, after seeing the high top of the burning lighthouse on the boat dozens of miles away, the people who accompanied the boat to Beijing knew that Tongzhou was here and the capital was near.

　　Zhang Shiyue, chief of the cultural relics section of the Beijing Tongzhou District Culture and Tourism Bureau, introduced that in June 2020, the "Three Temples and One Pagoda" scenic spot where the Ran Deng Tower is located was renovated and upgraded. The surrounding environment and supporting facilities of the scenic spot have been greatly improved.

　　Historically, the ancient canal has also been flooded, and Xiejiaba in Lianzhen, Dongguang County, Hebei Province has burst many times.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the squires of the Xie family in Lianzhen donated funds and organized manpower to make pulp with glutinous rice, add ash and soil to mix the embankment, hence the name Xiejiaba.

In order to reproduce the historical features of Xiejiaba, the main body of the dam was repaired and strengthened, and more than a hundred bags of glutinous rice and thousands of wooden wedges were used for this purpose.

　　Protection is for better inheritance and utilization. Today, many cities along the Grand Canal have established museums or exhibition halls, published books, and held events to let the cultural heritage of the canal "tell" history.

　　Walking into the exhibition hall of "North of the Grand Canal - Hebei Province Grand Canal Culture Exhibition" exhibition hall of Cangzhou Museum, Hebei Province, it seems as if a distant historical picture of the Grand Canal is laid out in front of you: Preface Hall, Qianqiu Canal, Zhizhen Qianli, the Royal River, and the Canal , the road to the World Heritage List... Here, the Grand Canal twists and turns, blending historical and cultural notes.

　　"The theme of this exhibition hall is 'seeing the history of the canal and retaining the memory of the city'," said Wang Wei, deputy director of the Cangzhou Museum. By adopting an artistic design concept, the interactive experience combined with the physical display. "North of the Grand Canal "To tell the history and culture of the Grand Canal.

Pollution Control and Planting Green Restoration Ecology

　　The Grand Canal in history has nourished the land on both sides of the river and nurtured many people.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the ancient Cangzhou Canal was lined with sails, ships shuttled, and merchants came and went, day and night.

During the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty, Botou became a famous town along the river because it "connected to the two major cities of Beijing and Tianjin, with more than ten thousand homes in Jiahe, miscellaneous places between the army and the people, and the fusion of merchants and merchants".

　　Today, both sides of the canal present a new picture of the harmonious coexistence of people and rivers.

　　"When I was a child, I took my father's cargo ship to Hangzhou and went to Gongchen Bridge. At that time, it was a shanty town with gravel roads. The water was dark and the smell was strong. There were many pipes on the river bank to discharge sewage into the canal. "Song Feifei, a water bus attendant in Hangzhou, said.

　　In 2011, she came to work in Hangzhou Canal Comprehensive Protection Development and Construction Group.

The shanty towns I saw when I was young have now been transformed into the famous historical and cultural block of Qiaoxizhi Street in Hangzhou, where the walls are covered with black tiles, and the trees are lined with trees.

　　In recent years, through measures such as widening dredging, ecological reconstruction, and water quality monitoring, Tongzhou District of Beijing has gradually transformed the North Canal from a drainage river into an ecological river, where a large number of water birds live and gather.

　　"Since 2021, the wild bird monitoring point in Tongzhou District has monitored nearly 500,000 migratory birds. Nearly 200 species of birds have been recorded in the North Canal alone, and more than 200,000 migratory birds have perched or transited here every year. Among them are Whooper swans, oriental white storks, green-headed pochards, aurora crows, black storks and other 'rare visitors'." said Li Yang, deputy director of Tongzhou District Landscaping Bureau.

　　With the improvement of the ecological environment of the Grand Canal, the lives of people on both sides of the strait have also undergone gratifying changes.

　　Go shopping on the bridge at the front door, wash vegetables and get off the boat at the back door, lean on the window to dry clothes and grow flowers, and play chess and drink tea at the shore.

Take a boat to Qingming Bridge, the scenery along the way and the bright river, it has become a favorite leisure destination for young people.

　　In the urban area of ​​Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, in the early morning, the green Canal Park welcomed the citizens who "checked in".

Some took a leisurely walk, some stopped to take pictures, and from time to time a walking team passed by shouting cheerful slogans.

Along the river embankment all the way to the south, Qingfeng Tower, Nanchuan Tower, Langyin Tower, Baishi Park, Canal Park... The water is meandering, the road is winding, the scenery is continuous, and people enjoy it.

A river with clear water stimulates economic vitality

　　For thousands of years, the canal has nourished the cities and people on both sides of the canal, and has been the river of prosperity and happiness for the people on both sides of the canal.

　　Today, the Grand Canal is injecting new vitality into the economic development of both sides of the Strait.

　　In recent years, the shipping level of the Grand Canal has been greatly improved.

On June 24th, as cruise ships from Tongzhou in Beijing and Xianghe in Hebei sailed toward each other along the North Canal channel, passing through the gateway locks entering and leaving Beijing, the tourism channel of the Beijing-Hebei section of the Grand Canal was interconnected.

Yuan Yongjun, deputy director of the Waterway Transportation Management Office of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transportation, said that this marked the first time that inter-provincial waterways and inter-provincial water tourism transportation appeared in Beijing.

　　Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, relies on the advantages of the canal to vigorously develop the shipping industry. In 2021, the inland river port will complete a total cargo throughput of 126 million tons and container throughput of 379,400 TEUs.

　　"Water transportation has large capacity, small footprint, low energy consumption, and low pollution. It is a green mode of transportation," said He Jianchun, former deputy director of Jiaxing Port and Shipping Bureau.

　　At the same time, canal cultural tourism is in the ascendant.

　　Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum opened not long ago last year, with 10,000 reservations every day, which are often filled within a few minutes of opening, becoming a new popular landmark in the ancient city of Yangzhou.

　　On April 11, Jiangsu Province issued the "Implementation Plan for the Construction of World-Class Canal Cultural Heritage Tourism Corridors".

It is estimated that by 2025, Jiangsu will build 1 or 2 world-class tourist attractions and resorts along the canal that highlight the culture of the Grand Canal, 2 or so national cultural and tourism industry integration development demonstration areas, and 10 provincial-level and above all-for-one tourism demonstration areas. There are more than 6 national-level nighttime culture and tourism consumption clusters.

　　With the cultural and tourism industry of the canal as the leader, the economic structure on both sides of the canal is quietly transforming.

　　"The warm wind is light, the wheat waves are fragrant, and the girls in the grain painting town are busy..." Shoudong Village, a grain painting town in Guantao County, Hebei Province, located on the bank of the canal, is famous for its "grain painting". There are more than 120 people in the village engaged in grain painting. make.

Zhang Furen, secretary of the party branch of Shoudong Village, said that the radiation of Shoudong Village has driven more than 10 surrounding villages to increase the income, and the average annual income of the working villagers is nearly 25,000 yuan.

　　Taking the grain painting town as the leader, Guantao County has built a number of characteristic towns that are "small and special", "rich and beautiful" and "new and alive". Taking advantage of the opportunity of the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt, they have integrated the Grand Canal culture into In rural tourism, the chain of industrial development has been continuously lengthened and the integrated development of industries has been promoted.

　　In Hangzhou, with the construction of the Canal Cultural Belt, some industrial relics have been transformed into museums and cultural and creative parks.

The former Hangzhou Silk Printing and Dyeing Joint Factory has been transformed into a creative industry park through the transformation of the factory building, and 110 cultural and creative enterprises have settled in it.

　　Fashion designer Zheng Bihong opened a studio in the industrial park to customize cheongsam and dresses. She said: "Silk and canals are inseparable. I have been in the industrial park for more than ten years, and I just hope to find creative inspiration through hearing and seeing."

　　A river and clear water running through the north and south are helping the people on both sides of the strait to set sail and forge ahead towards a happy life.

(Reporters Li Fengshuang, Fan Shihui, Wang Min, Jiang Fang, Feng Yuan, Zhang Xiao)