A Thousand-Year Waterway flowing through Hangzhou, connecting ancient waterways with the bustling city life. Along the canal, you can admire the night view near the Gong Ren Bridge and experience the living transmission of the Grand Canal culture. Historical sites, ancient docks, and storage sites are scattered along the banks, and the echoes of the watermen's songs still linger. Inside the first Grand Canal theme museum in China, the Yuan Dynasty canal transport scroll depicts the prosperity of "supplying half the nation's wealth and tribute through this route." Dragon boat races on the canal continue the thousand-year tradition of canal transport sacrifices, while the aroma of Xiang Zhao Chicken and Ding Sheng Cake are integrated into the city's vibrant flavors. This waterway, built during the Sui Dynasty, was once described by Su Shi as "comparing West Lake to Xizi," and was dredged by Bai Ju Yi during his governance of Hangzhou. The tragic scene of patriotic poet Wen Tianxiang witnessing "mountains and rivers break apart, snowflakes drift like feathers" is also recorded here, and Lu You's poem "fine rain riding donkey into Jianmen" further engraved the poetic beauty of the canal into the long river of history. The canal not only carries the lifeline of the north and south economies but also becomes a living testament to the fusion and co-existence of Chinese civilization.
