Conservation and Development of the Grand Canal Shandong Section

By+GAO+XIN

THE Grand Canal gained World Heritage status， so becoming Chinas 46th World Heritage site， on June 22. The decision was announced at the 38th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Doha， Qatar. An important component of the Grand Canals application， the Shandong section is now the provinces fourth item of world cultural heritage， along with Mount Tai， the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion， and the Great Wall of Qi.

North to South

Running from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south， the Grand Canal flows through two municipalities and four provinces – Beijing， Tianjin， Hebei， Shandong， Jiangsu， and Zhejiang， and connects five river systems， namely the Haihe River， Yellow River， Huaihe River， Yangtze River and Qiantang River. The World Heritage Committee defines the canal as the worlds longest and oldest artificial watercourse and largest， most extensive pre-Industrial Revolution civil engineering project.

A review of the canals evolution gives some idea of the significance of its role in regional economic development and cultural exchanges between North and South China， most particularly in the industrial and agricultural progress along its banks. Different from other cultural heritages， after more than two millennia of consistent improvements the canal still performs the main functions of transportation， irrigation， and drawing off floodwater. It is consequently a “living heritage.”

Throughout the canals development history the Shandong section has been the most difficult to navigate and so demanded the most complex maintenance engineering technology. The Shandong section has a total length of 643 km. It runs through the five cities of Zaozhuang， Jining， Taian， Liaocheng and Dezhou. Its Huitong Canal project and the related scheduling and management of water resources stand testament to the Grand Canals remarkable technical achievements in water transportation. The cities along the canal of Dezhou， Linqing， Dongchang， Jining， and Taierzhuang are of strategic trade and transport importance. Known as the Grand Canal city， Jining was site of the canals top regulatory agency during the Yuan， Ming， and Qing dynasties.

The Shandong section encompasses eight of the Grand Canals total 27 reaches， and 15 of its total 58 heritage sites. The Shandong heritage area， covering 16，603 hectares and with a buffering area of 29，501 hectares， is site of the remains of many water conservancy projects. It consequently showcases the technological creativity entailed in the traditional canal system – a main factor of its world heritage application.endprint

Concerned Conservation

Starting in misty Weishan Lake， Taierzhuang Canal meanders east through vast southern Shandong to the Grand Canals middle section in Jiangsu Province. The 42.5-km-long canal is its sole east-west section. In the past it was little more than a drainage ditch and garbage dump for the shanty towns along it.

Taking into consideration the recent history of the Shandong section， its application for world heritage might appear ambitious. Owing to historical vicissitudes， the once splendid Grand Canal underwent a gloomy decline. Urbanization and an expanding population resulted in the dumping of trash and construction of shacks along the ancient watercourse. In earlier times a famous cultural town in north China that rivaled even south Chinas Hangzhou and Suzhou， historical records show that Zhangqiu Town of Liaocheng City was formerly graced with dozens of temples. Today， however， all have vanished without trace.

As the starting point of the Huitong Canal， the Linqing section is a vital node on the Grand Canal. Linqings abundant cultural heritages gave rise to the epithet“living cultural museum of the Ming and Qing dynasties.” After the general decline， however， the Linqing watercourse narrowed and fell into disuse. Certain spots along it degenerated into sewage outlets， and heritage sites sustained varying degrees of damage. The swarms of mosquitos that hovered over piles of miasmatic stinking garbage kept locals at a safe distance.

In addition to these difficulties， the Shandong section also had to deal with the fundamental issues of heritage and cultural protection， water transport， water conservancy and management， as well as local development projects. Taking into account problems associated with its choked reaches north of Jinings Liangshan County， the Shandong section had the most onerous task of all others in accomplishing the environmental management necessary for its world heritage application. But the fact is that prior to the application a number of cities in Shandong had already embarked on Grand Canal conservation projects. After the application， various regions then set about the arduous and detailed work of clearance， regulation， restoration， and dredging.

To complete the work necessary for the Shandong sections application， the CPC provincial committee and government established a strong leadership and working mechanism， signing liability compacts with the five cities along it. The provincial government published the Conservation Plan of the Shandong Section of the Grand Canal Heritage and also promulgated and implemented the Measures for the Protection and Management of the Shandong Section of the Grand Canal Heritage. Chinas first provincial-level regulation on protecting the Grand Canal， it makes clear that within the protection domain and construction control area， such behavior as earth excavation and sewage disposal that damages the Shandong section constitutes cultural relic destruction – a civil or even criminal liability according to law.endprint

Local governments have also carried out a number of provincial-level and city-level Grand Canal heritage conservation programs. These and other major heritage site conservation schemes have formed a comprehensive and instructive protection system that has been incorporated into local economic and social development plans as well as urban and rural planning.

The Grand Canal application for World Heritage augurs an immense conservation project that will construct eco-cities and beautiful villages， hence promoting rural tourism and bringing inestimable benefits to local residents. Since making the application， Shandong governments at all levels have invested around RMB one billion in the project， including RMB 500 million from national support， and RMB 100 million from a special provincial finance fund. These measures have ensured successful completion of the work entailed in the application. In addition to large-scale maintenance work on the Grand Canal， local governments have also undertaken beautification of the surrounding environment and resettlement of villagers.

Greenery now abounds along the canals zigzagging Dezhou section. Composed of the Wei Canal and South Canal， the entire section is 141 kilometers long and features a number of spots of cultural interest. They include the Tomb of King Sulu， the Dezhou Warehouse and Wharf， the Song Dynasty kiln site， and the Daguanying Mosque. The original canal landscape， the ancient but still operational warehouse， and the distinctive Tomb of King Sulu as well as the nearby ancient villages originally built to guard the tomb are the Dezhou sections three precious remnants from earlier times. They embody the canals original look and economic and cultural functions. Since making the application the city has enhanced heritage conservation and environmental management and carried out protective development of the original landscape. Development has enabled people who formerly lived in shacks along the canal to move into new storied houses. An estimated five million people have benefited from the canals conservation since its application for World Heritage.

Not the Ultimate Objective

The successful application for the Grand Canals listing as World Heritage has drawn extensive attention to the otherwise lesser known cities along the canal. Many have started sketching plans for further conservation and management. Certain places are also keen to make the canal a focus of local tourism and shipping development. This entails even harder work to maintain the ancient style and cultural features of the Grand Canal， and to protect it from overexploitation and destructive construction. Balancing conservation and development is no easy matter.endprint

Resolution of the conflict between conservation and development during the course of the World Heritage application has been achieved through appropriate methods to preserve cultural heritage that respect history and nature.

Wang Chenguang， professor of the Tourism Department at Shandong University， regards heritage preservation as incompatible with tourism development. World heritage， however， has brought a new perspective to local tourism development， from that solely focusing on natural resources to one embracing both nature and culture.

“Grand Canal tourism should combine with current culture in modifying and revitalizing existing traditions，”Chen Guozhong， head of the Tourism Planning and Design Institute of Shandong Province and project leader of the Grand Canal general tourism plan， said. The Grand Canal is a living heritage； it is therefore crucial that tourism development restores the regions traditional dwellings， means of production， and lifestyle.

Xie Zhixiu， head of the Shandong Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage， regards the World Heritage application as a process and means rather than ultimate goal. The Grand Canal spans west Shandong from north to south. One of the major cultural heritage sites in the southwest Shandong economic zone， it is hence also a main tourism resource. The aims of Grand Canal conservation and its application for World Heritage include improving rural tourism and the image of Shandong Province， promoting the Grand Canal Shandong section as a new economic growth point， and facilitating sustainable and harmonious economic， social and cultural development.

In making sustainable use of the Grand Canal while inheriting and passing on its traditions， Shandong Province has launched a project showcasing its history and culture. It has also embarked on major preservation projects aimed at building up the provinces economy， culture and the Southwest Shandong Economic Rising Belt. Historic sites， museums， the Grand Trek， and display platforms have effectively displayed and heightened the canals historical， scientific and cultural value. The conservation project has created cultural highlights such as the archaeological site of the water-division hub in Nanwang Town in Wenshang County， Taierzhuang Ancient Town， and the Grand Canals south section in Dezhou. The ultimate aim of the plan is to string together the pearls of cultural heritage along the Grand Canal， so forming a historical and cultural landscape belt spanning southwest Shandong from north to south.endprint