Authorities in Anhui province are seeking historic protection status for the Anhui province section of China’s Grand Canal.

At a leadership panel meeting of the third provincial survey of cultural relics in Hefei on Aug 9, it was announced that the work of applying for cultural heritage status for the Anhui section of Grand Canal was initiated. In 1987, the Great Wall was listed on the World Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO, but the Grand Canal is still waiting to be added to the list that will protect it as a world-famous resource.

China’s Grand Canal was built more than 1,400 years ago as a north-south artery. Spanning 1,794 kilometers, Grand Canal is one of the world's longer and older canals. It begins in East China's Zhejiang province and runs north to Beijing. It connects the Huaihe River, Yellow River, Yangtze River and Qitang River.

The Grand Canal spans about 180 kilometers in northern Anhui province, including 140 kilometers in Suzhou and 41.5 kilometers in Huaibei. Today, many relics from this section of the canal are buried in soil from a canal choked with silt. However, recent construction projects in Suzhou and Huaibei have made the Grand Canal re-appear for local residents.

In order to protect Grand Canal, Suzhou and Huaibei issued a series of regulations calling for historic preservation status.

Editor: Li Jing

Source: www.cnanhui.org