Plan on the construction of national culture parks for the Beijing section of Grand Canal

A view of the Tongzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (Xinhua/Guan Guifeng)

On the evening of the 9th of October, the 2021 Beijing (International) Canal Culture Festival opened at the Water Transport Wharf of the Grand Canal Forest Park in Tongzhou District, Beijing. At the opening ceremony, the "Beijing Grand Canal National Cultural Park Construction and Protection Plan" was introduced, aiming to create a model for canal culture protection.

The plan proposes to create four functional areas and five key projects along the Grand Canal in Beijing, to make the Grand Canal a river of culture, ecology, development, people's livelihood, and integration. The plan introduces the goals of national cultural park construction in 2021, 2023, and 2025. 

By 2021, the construction and management system of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park will be established. The Tongzhou section of the North Canal will be open to navigation for tourism, providing supports to the construction of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park.

By 2023, the cultural relics and cultural resources along the Grand Canal in Beijing will enjoy better protection, inheritance and utilization. The tasks on the construction and protection of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park will be completed.

By 2025, all kinds of cultural heritage resources of the Grand Canal will be protected; the ecological environment will be improved; the cultural tourism brands will be widespread; the areas along the Grand Canal will be well developed. This Grand Canal National Cultural Park will become an iconic cultural symbol in Beijing.

To make the Grand Canal a river of culture, the plan proposes the overall protection of three categories of cultural heritage and its surrounding physical environment and cultural environment, including "river courses, water sources," "gates, bridges," "ancient sites, and ancient buildings,". The plan proposes some key projects such as the Grand Canal Source Relic Park, the restoration of Bali Bridge, the regeneration of the ancient city of Tongzhou and the ancient town of Zhangjiawan, and the construction of an archaeological site park in the ancient city of Lu County.

To improve the ecological environment of the Grand Canal, this plan proposes to build a waterfront leisure space and create an ecological and cultural landscape corridor of the Grand Canal. The key projects focus on the improvement of the river bank greening and establishing the Tongzhou Weir flood control system. By 2025, the comprehensive treatment of key river sections such as the North Canal, Tonghui River, Xiaotaihou River, and Ba River will be completed.

To better develop the Grand Canal area, this plan proposes to cultivate the Grand Canal tourism products and improve the influence of the Grand Canal cultural tourism brand. The key projects include creating a national 5A-level tourist attraction on the Tongzhou Grand Canal, building a number of characteristic towns such as Taihu Performing Arts Town and Zhangjiawan Design Town, and building the Grand Canal Museum, theater, libraries and some other public facilities. Also, this plan will promote the navigation function of cruise ships in parts of the Tonghui River and Chaobai River.

To improve the people’s livelihood in the Grand Canal area, the plan will remove the buildings and facilities that do not fit the function of traditional areas. Some key projects are proposed to optimize the traditional areas such as Gulou West Street, Nanluoguxiang, Nanxincang, and Tonghui River. These projects focus on the improvement of public space, retail industries, architectural style, and transportation system, aiming to create a leisure area along the Grand Canal with the cultural characteristics of Beijing. 

Moreover, this plan aims to make the Grand Canal be a connection to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and promote the exchanges and cooperation between the eight provinces and cities along the river. This plan focuses on enhancing regional developments through cultural activities and exchanges, such as China (Beijing) International Canal Cultural Festival, the Canal International Art Week, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Cultural Exchange Season, and the "Beijing-Hangzhou Dialogue" of the China Grand Canal Cultural Belt. 

With the guidance of this plan, Beijing will increase investment and implement a number of key projects, making every effort to protect and inherit the Grand Canal.

Source: <http://www.bj.chinanews.com/news/2021/1010/83735.html>

Edited and translated by Jia Mengyuan