中国范儿 86 中国大运河：流淌千年的水上文明
The Grand Canal stretches over hundreds of miles on the North China Plain. Its construction greatly shaped the economic development and social trajectories in ancient China. Witnessing the passage of time, the Grand Canal, like a grandiose poem written on the vast land of China, is the embodiment of a river culture that has existed for thousands of years.
The Grand Canal comprises of Jing-Hang Canal, Sui-Tang Canal and Zhe-Dong Canal. With a total length of nearly 3200 km, the Grand Canal passes through Beijing, Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, linking the Haihe River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, the Yangtze River and the Qiantang River.
The oldest parts of the Grand Canal date back to the Spring and Autumn Period. Largely completed during the Sui Dynasty, the Grand Canal was in its heyday during the Tang and Song Dynasties. The Yuan Dynasty shortened its length by building direct north-south waterways, which received further dredging during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Grand Canal established a direct transport link between China's north and south. It increased trades and facilitated exchanges of cultures, thoughts, ideas, and arts etc. The Grand Canal is a waterway system that brings the straightforwardness of northerners and the subtleness of southerners together. Thanks to these communications and exchanges, a distinctive culture boomed along the Grand Canal as a result. In the 2500 years after its birth, the Grand Canal fostered a tolerant culture that linked the south with the north and brought wealth and prosperity to the cities along its banks.
The Grand Canal has been an integral part of the daily life of the local people. A bountiful supply of water benefits the people along its banks. They use it for irrigation and transportation purposes. Wharfs, towns, markets, stores, and workshops emerged and a list of industries like salt, tea and texture boomed along the banks of the Grand Canal, which has long witnessed the busy shuttles of boats and ships, the gatherings of businessmen and the penetration of bustling and vibrant atmosphere. It is the life-giving water from the Grand Canal that has fostered the regional cultures along its two banks, including cultures of irrigation, canal transport, shipping, business, and folk arts. Amazing handicraft and long-cherished traditions and customs have been testaments to the vitality of the Grand Canal in thousands of years.
The Grand Canal is an embodiment of the depth, magnificence and pride of the Chinese history and culture. As a witness of the monumental history of the Chinese civilization, it highlights the wisdom and diligence of the Chinese nation. Today, with the introduction of One Belt and One Road Initiative, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integration Strategy, and the Yangtze Economic Belt Plan, the Grand Canal faces some new opportunities. The Chinese government issued The Guideline for Protecting, Inheriting and Making Use of the Grand Canal Culture, a document that aims to guide the efforts to protect the Grand Canal, tackle outstanding problems, and dig deeper to unveil the excellent traditional cultures related with the Grand Canal. Cities along the Grand Canal will find new ways to work together in the fields of cultural relic protection,ecological conservation, waterway maintenance, intangible culture heritage, and cultural tourism etc. Aiming to form a new regional development model, they are injecting new life and vigor into the Grand Canal Culture.
The Grand Canal has not only old memories but also a bright future. The Chinese people, with their respect to the history, will carry forward the timeless charm of the Grand Canal in the new era. Water will continue to flow tirelessly through the Grand Canal day in and day out, quietly leaving invaluable cultural heritages and ecological benefits behind.
往期回顾