China News Service, Shaoxing, January 30 (Reporter Xiang Jing) "The first stop when flying to the mainland during the New Year is my hometown of Shaoxing. What impressed me the most is the long-standing canal culture." After visiting the East Zhejiang Canal Museum in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, Shaoxing Zhang Fuping, a member of the CPPCC and president of the Macau Shaoxing Association, said in a recent interview that in the future he will actively promote canal culture and tell the story of China's Grand Canal to the world.
The scenery of the East Zhejiang Canal in Shaoxing. Photo by Xiang Jing
At the ongoing Shaoxing City Two Sessions, more than a dozen Shaoxing CPPCC members from Hong Kong and Macau came to Shaoxing to start the mainland performance mode. The splendid canal scenery and thousand-year-old flowing context have been praised by many Hong Kong and Macao committee members. They hope that Shaoxing's canal culture can be more "out of the circle" in the present, and are willing to be the "spokesperson" of the thousand-year canal.
As an important part of the Grand Canal of China, the East Zhejiang Canal runs through Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Ningbo from west to east. After about 2,500 years of evolution, it still nourishes the people on both sides of the strait. Among them, the Shaoxing section is the core section of the East Zhejiang Canal and the "predecessor" of the East Zhejiang Canal - the "Sanyin Ancient Waterway" dug by the Yue Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Zhang Fuping poses for a photo in front of the East Zhejiang Canal Museum. Photo provided by interviewee
Zhang Fuping, who focuses on cultural undertakings, travels between Macau and the mainland all year round. He has witnessed and participated in the development of the mainland and hopes to build a broader bridge for Chinese culture to "go global". Zhang Fuping said confidently, "Because of the canal, Shaoxing has its first world cultural heritage. This is a very shining 'golden business card' for Shaoxing."
2024 will mark the tenth anniversary of the successful application of the China Grand Canal as a World Heritage Site. Zhang Fuping believes that Shaoxing should seize this important node to vigorously promote canal culture and activate the economy along the canal through festivals and activities. "I will also publish more canal stories in Shaoxing in the monthly magazine "Fortune World" I founded. Let friends from all over the world know Shaoxing and understand China."
Shaoxing is one of the first batch of famous historical and cultural cities in the country and has been named the Cultural Capital of East Asia. The work report of the Shaoxing Municipal Government pointed out that cultural landmarks such as the East Zhejiang Canal Museum will be completed and put into use in 2023; in 2024, the Grand Canal (Shaoxing Section) heritage protection and management plan will be strictly implemented, and coordinated promotion of heritage protection, genetic decoding, literary and artistic creation, and cultural tourism development , strengthen the comprehensive protection and management of the canal water system, organize and carry out a series of activities of the Canal Culture Year, etc.
A picture of the water conservancy of the East Zhejiang Canal. Photo by Xiang Jing
Wang Guifang, member of the Shaoxing Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the volunteer group of the Shaoxing Hong Kong Association, was very pleased to see that the ancient canal has been reborn thanks to the efforts of all walks of life. She told reporters that she originally knew a lot about the canals in the Hangzhou area, and the canals in Shaoxing did not seem "dazzling" enough. However, in fact, the canal culture in Shaoxing is also very long and splendid, and it once had powerful functions such as irrigation and water transportation.
"I hope that Shaoxing's canal culture can reach a higher level of popularity, and I will also share the canal story with my relatives and friends in Hong Kong." As a compatriot living in Hong Kong, Wang Guifang has "checked in" at the East Zhejiang Canal Museum for the second time. At the end of 2023, she took a group of young people from Hong Kong and Macao to start a hometown trip. The young people used nostalgia as a bond to deeply experience the canal scenery of their hometown.
Wang Guifang believes that the canal culture is deeply rooted in Shaoxing and has great vitality today. "Young people are the best 'promoters', and the canal must enter the hearts of young people in a younger and more modern way."
Hong Kong and Macao Youth Hometown Tour. Photo provided by interviewee
To allow "new legends" to flow through the world's canals, the blessing of "experience" and the injection of "power of youth" are indispensable. Wang Wei, president of the Shangyu Hong Kong Association, who grew up on the banks of the Shangyu Canal in Shaoxing, was deeply touched.
As a member of the Shaoxing Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, Wang Wei is concerned about the issue of "revitalization" of canal culture. He said in an interview, "At a time when 'experience is king' has become a new trend in cultural tourism, it is necessary to use 'creative hands' to attract 'cultural living water'. It is recommended to make full use of the architecture, customs, people, and craftsmanship accompanying the canal, Focusing on the tourist experience, we must especially seize the flow of young customers and high-spending people, cultivate immersive, interactive and experiential new business formats, and innovate unique canal cultural tourism products.”
The canal is vast and has flowed for thousands of years. The canal is a "flowing context", like a long link that not only crosses ancient and modern times, and runs through north and south China, but also connects the innocent hearts of compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao, gathering together the endless flow of positive energy. (over)