微信掃一掃
To mark China’s 20th annual Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, reporters visited three of Hangzhou’s UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites—West Lake, the Grand Canal (Hangzhou section), and the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins—to explore how the city is innovating in the protection, inheritance, and revitalization of its cultural heritage.
Chinese and international guests taking a group photo by the Grand Canal in Hangzhou
The Grand Canal, the first in China to traverse mountainous terrain, has played a pivotal role throughout history in unifying political governance, integrating regional economies, enabling long-distance transport, and fostering cultural exchange. It remains one of the world’s most influential waterways and a milestone in global canal history.
According to Fang Youqiang, Director of the Integrated Protection Center for the Hangzhou Section of the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Hangzhou section is where the canal most deeply intertwines with everyday life. For generations, residents have lived along its banks, and the city’s prosperity has flowed from it. “The Grand Canal links north and south, connects rivers to the sea, and has long supported China’s national integration and its dialogue with other civilizations,” Fang noted. “It is not only a powerful cultural symbol for the Chinese people, but also a national emblem of heritage.”
Visit the Gongchen Bridge Historical and Cultural Street of Hangzhou Grand Canal
In recent years, Hangzhou has successfully transformed former industrial zones along the canal into vibrant public spaces. The former Hangzhou Iron & Steel Plant was repurposed into Grand Canal Hanggang Park, preserving iconic structures such as blast furnaces, coke ovens, and silos. The park now regularly hosts lifestyle festivals and open-air concerts. Likewise, the old Hangzhou Oxygen Plant has been reborn as the Wulin Star Exhibition Center, blending art, commerce, and cultural innovation.As a recognized World Heritage site, the Grand Canal has become a dynamic stage for cultural renewal. Seven themed museums—such as the China Grand Canal Museum—have been built along its route, each offering a distinct and immersive experience.
Ye Min, a local resident who has lived by the canal for more than a decade, reflected on the area’s remarkable transformation: “When I moved here in 2005, it was still surrounded by old factories. After years of restoration and gaining World Heritage status, it’s become more beautiful and vibrant. I often take friends to visit the museums now—it’s something to be proud of.”
A stroll across Gongchen Bridge on the Grand Canal in Hangzhou
Fang explained that Hangzhou has closely integrated heritage protection with improvements to urban living, ecological restoration, and economic transition. For example, the comprehensive West Lake preservation project restored public access to scenic waters, adopted smart management techniques, and greatly enhanced both the cultural atmosphere and the city’s overall appeal. Similarly, revitalization of the Grand Canal has led to improved water quality, reconfigured historical street patterns, and reinvigorated local culture. Especially notable is the adaptive reuse of former industrial facilities—now transformed into cultural hubs and creative industry clusters—bringing new life and contemporary energy to the ancient canal banks.
At the China Knives, Scissors, and Swords Museum, French student Théo Lexcellent carefully painted an oil-paper umbrella by hand. He arrived in China earlier this year to study Mandarin and chose to settle in Hangzhou, drawn by its natural beauty and cultural richness.
A stroll across Gongchen Bridge on the Grand Canal in Hangzhou
“The Grand Canal is as vital to China as the Seine is to France,” Théo remarked. “Waterways are essential to a country’s development, and making this umbrella myself gave me a much deeper appreciation of the canal’s heritage.”
“Gaining World Heritage status brings a site under international protection and professional conservation frameworks,” said Yang Jianwu, President of the Zhejiang Association for Cultural Heritage Protection and Distinguished Expert at the Zhejiang Urban Governance Research Center. “Strict conservation standards help preserve a site’s authenticity and material integrity, protecting it from natural and man-made threats and securing its value for future generations.” “Through cultural heritage,” Yang added, “people from different regions and countries can discover the essence of Chinese civilization, fostering a stronger emotional connection and deeper mutual understanding.” (End)
譯文:
走進(jìn)中國(guó)大運(yùn)河(杭州段)品千年運(yùn)河活態(tài)傳承故事
時(shí)值中國(guó)第20個(gè)“文化和自然遺產(chǎn)日”,記者于近日走進(jìn)西湖文化景觀、中國(guó)大運(yùn)河(杭州段)、良渚古城遺址三大世界文化遺產(chǎn),了解杭州在文化遺產(chǎn)保護(hù)、傳承與利用的創(chuàng)新路徑。
大運(yùn)河是中國(guó)第一條實(shí)現(xiàn)“穿山越嶺”的運(yùn)河,在統(tǒng)一政治、融通經(jīng)濟(jì)、便利交通、文化交流等方面發(fā)揮著重要作用,是全球最具影響力的水道之一,更是世界運(yùn)河史上的里程碑。
杭州市京杭運(yùn)河(杭州段)綜合保護(hù)中心主任房友強(qiáng)表示,中國(guó)大運(yùn)河(杭州段)是杭州最有煙火氣的地方,千百年來(lái)杭州人枕河而居,杭州城更因河而興,“大運(yùn)河溝通南北、通江達(dá)海,促進(jìn)中華民族的交流融合和東西方文明交流互鑒,這是當(dāng)之無(wú)愧的民族文化符號(hào)和國(guó)家文化名片”。
杭州鋼鐵廠工業(yè)遺存變身大運(yùn)河杭鋼公園,保留了高爐、焦?fàn)t、筒倉(cāng)等標(biāo)志建筑,生活嘉年華、草坪音樂(lè)會(huì)接連上演;杭氧老廠房變身武林之星博覽中心,通過(guò)“博覽+商業(yè)”的運(yùn)營(yíng)模式,打破傳統(tǒng)商業(yè)界限……作為世界文化遺產(chǎn),大運(yùn)河畔的文化項(xiàng)目不斷涌現(xiàn),中國(guó)京杭大運(yùn)河博物館等7個(gè)各具特色的博物館相繼建成。
在大運(yùn)河畔居住了10多年的居民葉閔便是這段變遷的見(jiàn)證者,“2005年我剛搬來(lái)的時(shí)候,周邊還有很多工廠舊址。后來(lái)隨著河道治理的推進(jìn)、申遺的成功,大運(yùn)河變得越來(lái)越好,人氣也越來(lái)越旺,周邊的博物館成了我常帶朋友打卡的地方?!?/span>
房友強(qiáng)表示,杭州把申遺與社會(huì)民生改善、城市有機(jī)更新、經(jīng)濟(jì)轉(zhuǎn)型發(fā)展結(jié)合起來(lái),如西湖綜合保護(hù)工程實(shí)現(xiàn)了還湖于民免費(fèi)開(kāi)放,進(jìn)行精細(xì)化保護(hù)管理,形成持續(xù)的美譽(yù)度和吸引力,最后賦能全市帶動(dòng)杭州城市能級(jí)提升;運(yùn)河綜合保護(hù)工程通過(guò)整治水質(zhì),梳理街巷肌理格局,激活歷史文化資源,特別是工業(yè)遺存再利用為公共文化空間,導(dǎo)入新型業(yè)態(tài),運(yùn)河兩岸呈現(xiàn)出安居樂(lè)業(yè)、古韻今輝的活態(tài)風(fēng)貌。
在中國(guó)刀剪劍博物館內(nèi),來(lái)自法國(guó)的徐朗(Theo Lexcellent)正專注地為自己的油紙傘描繪圖畫(huà)。今年初,他來(lái)到中國(guó)學(xué)習(xí)中文,因喜愛(ài)自然與美麗的景致,選擇在杭州求學(xué)。
“中國(guó)大運(yùn)河連接南北,其重要性就像法國(guó)的塞納河,水路交通對(duì)國(guó)家經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展意義重大?!毙炖收f(shuō),親手制作油紙傘的體驗(yàn),讓他加深了對(duì)中國(guó)大運(yùn)河的印象。
“申遺將遺產(chǎn)置于國(guó)際視野與專業(yè)保護(hù)框架之下,通過(guò)嚴(yán)格的保護(hù)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)與措施,確保遺產(chǎn)本體得到妥善維護(hù),避免因自然或人為因素遭到破壞,為人類文明的傳承保留物質(zhì)基礎(chǔ)?!闭憬∥奈锉Wo(hù)利用協(xié)會(huì)會(huì)長(zhǎng)、浙江省城市治理研究中心特聘專家楊建武表示,不同國(guó)家和地區(qū)的觀眾通過(guò)文化遺產(chǎn),走進(jìn)中國(guó)文化的世界,增進(jìn)了對(duì)中國(guó)文化的理解和喜愛(ài)。(完)
Copyright @ 2009-2025 巴西華人網(wǎng) 紹興美信信息技術(shù)有限公司 All Right Reserved@巴西華人網(wǎng);浙公網(wǎng)安備 33069802000078 號(hào)