China’s Grand Canal, a waterway more than a thousand miles long and more than two thousand years old, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its listing as a UNESCO World Heritage.
Actually a series of canals, built over ten centuries, the Grand Canal connects a number of China’s rivers, including the two main ones, the Yangtse and the Yellow River. Aside from its role as a major artery for trade, a role it still fills, it was for many years a main water supply for Beijing. It’s the longest artificial waterway in the world.
A number of cities along the canal are celebrating the anniversary with events and venues developed to build on the canal’s importance in cultural life and in building increasing tourism.
Image: Wanning Bridge over the canal in Beijing (EditQ/Wikimedia Commons)
