China promotes cultural inheritance and development of the Grand Canal to empower a better life – Xinhuanet

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 15 Title: China promotes cultural inheritance and development of the Grand Canal to empower a better life

Xinhua News Agency reporter Luo Xin

“The polluted river water in the past has become clear, the dirty environment has become beautiful, the depressed street scenes around the Grand Canal have become prosperous, and the historical relics that have been submerged by the years have regained their luster.” Ma Jihong, a national first-level screenwriter, recalled that for Hot It was quite emotional when I was collecting stories for the TV series “People by the Canal” during the broadcast.

　　Citizens overlook the Shicha Sea from the Wanning Bridge at the intersection of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Beijing’s central axis.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Zhonghao

“I started from Hangzhou and interviewed more than 100 people along the Grand Canal, inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, scholars and experts, and volunteers who love and protect the river. The stories and legends of the Grand Canal, and its development and changes are fascinating. Moved.” Ma Jihong said.

At the 2023 China Grand Canal Cultural Belt Beijing-Hangzhou Dialogue and Beijing (International) Canal Culture Festival held recently, domestic and foreign guests held discussions around the theme of “Inheriting Canal Culture to Empower a Better Life”. The Millennium Grand Canal, connecting north and south, running through ancient and modern times, is the longest artificial canal in the world. It is a geographical wonder created by mankind and a humanistic epic written on the land of China.

This “Beijing-Hangzhou Dialogue” event was held jointly with the Beijing (International) Canal Cultural Festival for the first time, and was co-sponsored by the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, the Information Office of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government, and the Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government.

The “Grand Canal National Cultural Park Construction and Protection Plan” issued in 2021 proposes to integrate the cultural relics and cultural resources of 8 provinces and cities along the Grand Canal, and optimize the overall design according to the idea of ​​”rivers are lines, cities are beads, beads string lines, and lines connect surfaces” The functional layout deeply explains the cultural value of the Grand Canal, promotes the integration of culture and tourism, and enhances the level of traditional utilization.

In recent years, provinces and cities along the Grand Canal have cooperated in aspects such as protection and inheritance, research and excavation, environmental improvement, and integration of culture and tourism. They insist on “returning the river to the people” and promote the integration of the Grand Canal culture into life and people’s livelihood, so that the thousand-year-old Grand Canal can be used in life. New vitality emerges from the cultural inheritance.

Cargo ships traveling on the Grand Canal pass through Gongchen Bridge in Hangzhou (drone photo).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Han

“What impressed me most was the Gongchen Bridge in Gongshu District, Hangzhou.” Ma Jihong said that in recent years, surrounding factories have been moved away, abandoned factories have been turned into various museums, and shantytowns have undergone comprehensive renovations. After renovation, residents can now open their doors to see the river and open their windows to admire the moon.

It is understood that Beijing has strengthened the living protection of the Grand Canal, connected cultural and ecological landscapes, created a distinctive Grand Canal cultural tourism belt, and empowered high-quality economic development with culture. Expand the cultural and tourism industry space, build high-standard cultural industrial parks and characteristic towns along the route, and turn around a number of old factories to realize the agglomeration of industrial formats.

Zhu Bingren, the representative inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage bronze sculpture skills, said that there are rich and colorful intangible cultural heritage cultures along the Grand Canal, such as Tianjin’s Yangliuqing woodblock New Year painting production skills, Yangzhou’s lacquerware painting skills, Hangzhou’s Hangluo weaving skills, and Beijing’s Cloisonné production techniques, etc.

“Only when intangible cultural heritage becomes increasingly closely connected with modern life can it gain new vitality,” Zhu Bingren said.

Zhou Wenzhang, president of the Chinese Poetry Society, said that with the development of the Grand Canal today, its water supply and irrigation function cannot be replaced, and its cultural tourism function is increasingly strengthened. Many cities along the Grand Canal are working hard to build cultural tourist attractions.

“To carry forward the Grand Canal culture now, the most important thing is to continue to explore and sort out its spiritual connotation.” Zhou Wenzhang said.

Wuting Bridge in Slender West Lake, Yangzhou (photo taken on June 15, drone photo).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ji Chunpeng

With the Grand Canal culture as the theme, various places integrate culture, tourism and other resources along the route, vigorously develop emerging technology real-life performances, digital art, interactive displays and other cutting-edge cultural and creative industries to realize the modern expression of the ancient canal culture, and the Millennium Grand Canal has become It has created a vibrant “city living room” and an endless “people’s happiness river”.

In Hebei, the Cangzhou central city section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has been opened to tourism and navigation. From “water” to “boat”, the Cangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has achieved a gorgeous change, and the grand scene of “a ship passing the bright moon over Cangzhou” has once again become a reality. In Beijing, the construction of the “Universal Studios

Liu Liu, executive vice chairman of the World Canal Historical and Cultural Cities Cooperation Organization, said that in recent years, efforts have been made to promote normalized cooperation among canal cities, making full use of the two cooperation mechanisms of World Canal Ancient Towns and World Canal City Boutique Scenic Areas to continue to promote intercity exchanges and project cooperation. It has played an important role in serving the high-quality development of canal cities.

Rudy van de Wen, chairman of the Inland Waterways International Organization, said: “I like the historical and cultural stories of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal very much. I hope I can go there and see it in the future. I also hope that we can strengthen friendly interactions and exchanges and jointly promote the prosperity of the world’s canal culture.”