Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has once again become the focus as 18 cities along its banks are ready for the application of World Heritage for the longest man-made waterway worldwide.

58 CPPCC members submitted a plan for the application of World Heritage for Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal during the Two Conferences (annual NPC and CPPCC sessions) this year. Just prior to this, three experts on cultural relics, ancient building, urban planning as well as sculpture wrote to the mayors of 18 cities along the Canal, calling for the application of World Heritage for it.

91-year-old expert on ancient building Zheng Xiaoxie expressed his wishes to live to see the Canal listed as a World Heritage site. On Mar. 17, Zheng, Luo Zhewen, 82-year-old expert on cultural relics and ancient building and Zhu Bingren, expert on sculpture came all the way to Hangzhou on an inspection tour for the Grand Canal to join the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It was Zheng and Luo that called for China to join the convention. So far, 31 such programs in China have applied for the World Cultural Heritage.

"Dear Mayors, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, we are calling for the accelerated efforts for the application of tangible and intangible cultural heritages for the Grand Canal. If the historical value, cultural connotation as well as contribution of the Canal were added, literarily speaking, the Canal would be as important as the Great Wall," wrote three experts in their letter to 18 mayors.

In their response to the three experts, the mayors have all expressed their willingness to contribute to the application of World Heritage for the Canal.

With a total length of 1,794 km, Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the longest manmade waterway worldwide, and it is 16 times and 33 times longer than the Suez Canal and Panama Canal respectively. Running through Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south, it connects Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu as well as Zhejiang, and links up Haihe River, Yellow River, Huaihe River, Yangtze River and Qiantang River.

Historically speaking, the Canal has brought convenience to the exchange of commodities between the north and the south and propelled the social, cultural as well as economic development. So far the navigable mileage totaled 1,442 km and the annual navigable mileage 877 km.

From Sui Dynasty to now, the Canal has brought the imperial power to Hangzhou and carried agricultural products to the north. Experts held that the Canal was as important as the Great Wall for it united the whole country.

In his two proposals to CPPCC Hangzhou Committee, Zhu said that the application process has brought about unprecedented prosperity to Hangzhou. Hangzhou should integrate the Canal's tangible and intangible cultural heritages and offer experiences for dredging canal that tallies with the sustainable development. Meanwhile, the city should take the lead in taking part in the demonstration, discussion as well as planning by experts from around the world.

Leaders from Hangzhou city have devoted much attention to the project of World Heritage application. Wang Guoping, secretary of Party Committee in Hangzhou said that Hangzhou, the southern terminus of the Grand Canal should play a leading role in the process of World Heritage application.

Unlike the Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors and Horses, can the Grand Canal, which always flows, be a World Heritage? Experts maintained that what really matters is not only the tangible cultural heritage of the Canal, but also its intangible cultural heritage.

For better excavation of the intangible heritage, Hangzhou Canal Group is now compiling a book recording the real history of the Grand Canal (Hangzhou section). A picture taken by an American missionary depicting workers doing harsh labor showed the hard struggle and plain living of the Chinese people.

However, some people hold different views towards the application process: the original intention for digging the Grand Canal lies in better serving the people, and now harnessing the canal aims at providing more service for locals rather than protecting it like what we did to cultural relics.

So far some 100 projects are ready for joining the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. However, the convention only enlists one site from China annually. It is estimated that the Grant Canal will join the convention within five years.

An official with Hangzhou Canal Group noted that the city of Hangzhou can go global by taking the opportunity of World Heritage application. If successful, the Grand Canal will doubtlessly become a world-renowned tourism destination.

By People's Daily Online