Entering ancient town of Taierzhuang on ancient canal

（People's Daily Online） 08:19, September 14, 2012

Photo shows the view in the ancient town of Taierzhuang, located in Zaozhuang city of east China's Shandong province. (chinapic.people.com.cn)

Edited and translated by Ye Xin, People's Daily Online

The ancient town of Taierzhuang, located in Zaozhuang city of east China's Shandong province, is surrounded by water and is known for classical bridges, an old canal, wetland parks, temples, museums, and numerous traditional architectural buildings of bygone eras.

Located on the bank of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the two-square-kilometer town is the only remaining ancient town which is well preserved. The Zaozhuang municipal government allocated 4.8 billion yuan ($743.52 million) to restore its previous glory back from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).

The town is also the historical site where Taierzhuang Battle broke out, one of the important victorious campaigns in the Anti-Japanese War. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council named Taierzhuang as its first cross-strait exchange base on the mainland in 2009.

Read the Chinese version: 探秘古运河文化--走进天下第一庄