Editor's Note

China's Grand Canal was inscribed on the World Heritage List on June 24 by the World Heritage Committee, which convened its 38th annual session in Doha, Qatar.

The Grand Canal, the longest artificial waterway in the world, dates back more than 2,400 years, still plays a dynamic role in transportation, irrigation and flood control. The 1,794-km canal runs from Beijing to Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang Province.

With the three successful inscriptions, China has already become No.2 on the list with 47 sites, only behind Italy's 50 sites.

The Grand Canal is well known in the world as a great water conservancy project, and it is an outstanding masterpiece of the human beings, according to unesco.org.

About the Grand Canal

 

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Xinhua: Conservation worries after UNESCO Grand Canal honor
One is overdevelopment along the canal, mostly for real estate projects, which are harming the environment of the canal.

"The other is that in some places, a bunch of fake cultural relics  have been built in the name of restoring original canal scenes to attract tourists, which indeed goes against our intention of the World Heritage application," said Qi Xin, deputy secretary-general of the Grand Canal sub-committee under the China Association of Cultural Relics Preservation.

In addition, pollution of this world's longest artificial waterway is in danger of worsening as tourists flow in. "It's the fate of all World Heritage sites and a challenge to all their managers -- you have to balance development and protection," Qi noted.

Zhejiang Daily: UNESCO status a new beginning
Making the UNESCO World Heritage List is a new beginning for preservation of the Grand Canal. “The section of the Grand Canal in Hangzhou is an important part of the entire waterway. We will make sure protection efforts benefit everyone and promise to develop it into a world-class tourist attraction,” said Wang Shuifa, a Hangzhou official. The city also promises that museums along the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal will be free of charge, that all cultural relics in Hangzhou will be well-protected, and that the Grand Canal and its surrounding areas will be open to the public.

China Youth Daily: Cooperation a must for Grand Canal protection
The Grand Canal runs through six provinces and two municipalities, all of which will have to work to utilize and protect this waterway. The whole Canal may be damaged if one region does not fulfill its responsibilities.
During the application preparations, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province was nominated to lead the whole process, with relative organizations established in other cities. Now that the Canal has been added to the World Heritage List, authorities must consider whether to set up a high-level institution to guide and coordinate protection efforts among cities.

Economic Daily: UNESCO status means more responsibility
The protection of the Grand Canal is a systematic project and requires joint efforts from all relative cities. Laws and regulations should be set in place to govern Grand Canal protection. Environmental protection departments and water departments must increase their efficiency in waterway management and protection.

 

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