PR97649

CANGZHOU, China, Sept. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The Cangzhou city downtown section of the world's oldest and longest man-made

river, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, is open to navigation for tourism on

September 1 and will give visitors a chance to appreciate the masterpiece of

ancient China's artificial waterway, announced an official with the Cangzhou

city government of north China's Hebei Province.

"We and more than 230 representatives from all walks of life in the city

gathered to witness the historic moment of the opening of tourism in the

Cangzhou central urban area of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal," said Xiang

Hui, mayor of Cangzhou at the opening ceremony, adding that the Grand Canal is

now ushering in a new century of revival.

The opening of the 13.7- kilometer long Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal is

an important move to advance the coordinated development of the

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in North China.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is 1,794 kilometers (1,115 miles) long and has

a history of over 2,500 years. It starts in Beijing in the north and ends in

Hangzhou in the south, and served as a significant transportation artery in

ancient China. About one-eighth of the Canal runs through Cangzhou, 180 km away

from Beijing. A stretch of over 1,000 km of the canal was declared a world

heritage site in 2014.

Cangzhou, known as "Northern Town of the Grand Canal", has upgraded the

supporting projects along the Grand Canal, newly built 12 tourist piers, six

landscape walking bridges, and renovated 8 existing main bridges. The city

strives to provide a one-of-a-kind destination for tourists at home and abroad

by taking the Grand Canal as the center and takes efforts into preserving

historical and cultural projects such as the Hundred Lions Garden, Canal Park,

Nanchuanlou Cultural Block, Garden Expo Park, Children's entertainment, sports

park, catering, and accommodation facilities.

To make Grand Canal regain its vitality, Cangzhou has actively implemented

water diversion and water replenishment projects in recent years. Based on the

diversion of180 million cubic meters of water in 2021, another 300 million

cubic meters of water was completed this year. More than 67,000 stems of arbor

trees were planted on both sides of the Canal, with a green area of 2,065 mu

(1.37 square kilometers), forming a vibrant ecological corridor, and

reinforcing the greening and upgrading projects. Cangzhou has truly "protected,

passed down and made good use of" the Grand Canal culture and made this

precious heritage blossom into a new era.

Fifteen cruise ships have lined up by the piers for their first rides. From

September 1st, tourists will be able to experience Cangzhou's historical and

cultural relics along the Grand Canal.

CONTACT: Sasa Guan, tongguan@xinhuanetus.com

Source Cangzhou Municipal Government

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   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=428573

   Caption: World’s Longest Canal Open to Tourists in N. China’s Cangzhou Downtown Section