A night view of the Grand Canal Park in the city of Wuxi.
East China's Jiangsu province has made remarkable results in the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt over the past two years by launching a number of projects and events.
With a history of more than 2,500 years, the Grand Canal linking Beijing and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province was the main artery for ancient China's north-south traffic and passes through eight provinces and municipalities, with a total length of 2,700 kilometers, making it the world's earliest and longest canal.
The various sections and sites of the Grand Canal were included in the World Cultural Heritage list in 2014 by UNESCO.
The section in Jiangsu province has a length of 790 km. It was the earliest-constructed section with the widest coverage and the longest mileage compared with those in the other provinces and municipalities.
During its history of more than 2,500 years, Jiangsu has formed a canal culture that features communication, inclusiveness and openness.
According to the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the province has abundant resources relating to the canal's heritage.
As the core area of the Grand Canal, the Jiangsu section boasts about 40 percent of the UNESCO heritage sites.
In January 2020, Jiangsu implemented China's first regulations to promote the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt. The province also set a target to build the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal into a model for the preservation, inheritance and utilization of world cultural heritage in November last year.
The local governments have prioritized the projects of the cultural belt and formulated six special provincial-level plans for the preservation and inheritance of the Grand Canal cultural heritage. They have also boosted the integrated development of cultural tourism; the management and protection of river systems; the protection and restoration of the ecological environment; the interpretation and promotion of cultural value; and the development of modern shipping business.
A total of 11 cities and districts in Jiangsu along the Grand Canal have introduced related action plans.
The province has also set up China's first Grand Canal culture tourism development fund and issued China's first special bond for the construction of the Grand Canal Culture Belt, as part of its efforts to broaden the financing channels for major projects.
Through the efforts of all parties, the historical buildings along the canal have been renovated and better managed.
The once-dilapidated courtyards along the Xizhi Street river bank in the city of Changzhou have also been renovated.
Xuzhou city in northern Jiangsu continues to promote the integrated development of the canal culture and the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) culture. Xuzhou was the birthplace of the first emperor of Han.
