I am by the Grand Canal of China

The construction of the Grand Canal, which stretches thousands of meters, has contributed enormously to passing Chinese culture from generation to generation.

In 486 BC, Fu Chai, the king of State Wu, ordered the excavation of the Hangou Canal to link up Yangtze River to Huai River. From then on, the canal has bridged the south and the north, and flowed for thousands of years.

On June 22, 2014, China’s Grand Canal was inscribed on the World Heritage list. Over the decade, the “golden waterway”, which carries the mission of promoting national unification and prosperity, has been presenting a brand new vigor and vitality.

Reporters in Yangzhou Newspaper Media Group in Jiangsu Province, China have recently interviewed five foreigners working or living in cities along the Grand Canal, and expounded on these cities’ efforts to implement the new philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development by telling their stories.

“The Grand Canal, seeking innovation everywhere”

Interviewee: Jan Walter (German, professional manager)

Address: Jiangsu Suzhou-Senoplast New Material (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Jan Walter works as the general manager of Senoplast New Material (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. On the first floor of the company, several newly launched products are put on display. They can be used atop recreational vehicles or outdoors because they can go through two decades without being eroded or discoloring. The color of the item above is not paint but a new material independently developed by the company, which itself comes with color.

In 2004, Jan Walter, aged 31, left Gera in Thuringia，Germany for Suzhou, where he had afterwards assumed managerial roles in two companies. Months ago, he was employed by an Austria-based company as the head of its subsidiary in Suzhou, China.

“You may be amazed at how Suzhou excels in innovation, perhaps when you pass across a traffic light, finding an auxiliary company for industrial development or when you turn a corner, a scientific research lab is just there.”  As noted by Jan Walter, the reason why he decided to work in Suzhou was that he could keep abreast with the world’s scientific and technological advances in Suzhou, and the city appeared to urge him to keep seeking progress.

“Suzhou is home to 160,000 industrial enterprises, more than 400 Fortune 500 companies, prides itself on three industries, each worthing RMB1 trillion or more, namely, electronic information, high-end equipment, and advanced materials, and excels in scientific and technological innovation. As observed by Jan Walter, the city is witnessing historical and cultural inheritance, experiencing profound changes caused by scientific and technological innovation, and longing for transformations with infinite possibilities.

“The Grand Canal, an inspiring source of artistic creation”

Interviewee: Gagik (Armenian, sculptor)

Address: Jiangsu Huai'an-Qingjiangpu Lou Studio

“I’m going to create a sculpture on Huai'an, a city I love ardently.” 57-year-old Gagik told his friends about his recent plan of creation in a restaurant in Huai'an in an evening of early winter.

Six years ago, Gagik set foot in Huai'an, a historically and culturally famous city along the Grand Canal of China, the birthplace of Wu Cheng’en who authored Journey to the West, one of the four classics of Chinese literature.

Gagik is known as a sculptor in Huai'an. Every nook and cranny of his studio is stuffed with sculptures in different shapes. A sculpture named Turandot, on which he adopted traditional Chinese emblazonry, appears to have a distinctive charm.  Gagik said that he used to follow western academicism to create sculptures. After he arrived in Huai'an, natural beauty of the city along the Grand Canal as well as the refreshing scent of soil adds spirituality and delicacy to his sculptures, which place emphasis on the surface texture of different objects and are characterized by inclusive and brisk naturalism.

This year, Huai'an launched the construction of a “gallery stretching 50 kilometers” along the Grand Canal. In the company of his friend, he travelled throughout Huai'an, impressed by the “viaduct over water” in the intersections of the Grand Canal and Huai River, and was bowled over by the dazzling and prosperous scenes of the Grand Canal at nighttime. The “gallery stretching 50 kilometers” turns out to be a magnificent and beautiful cultural tourism belt.

Gagik notes that it is worthwhile living in China and pursuing the essence of art amid the sound of flowing water in the Grand Canal.

“The Grand Canal, an enormous contributor to global environmental protection”

Interviewee: Osama (Pakistan, textile trader)

Address: Zhejiang Jiaxing-Youchegang Town

“This latest shipment of spinning machines and threads will be transported from Ningbo Port to Pakistan.” Osama, a 32-year-old young man from Pakistan is busy with a batch of orders in a factory located in Youchegang Town. “This shipment of spinning machines are provided with water recycling devices to facilitate environmental protection and cut costs.”

Osama Asif, who came to Jiaxing in 2016 to engage in international trade, purchases textile materials and machines to meet the domestic market demand of his country and even export them to European and American countries.

In his view, Jiaxing, located in the Yangtze River Delta and along the Grand Canal of China, is a city where global market opportunities can be grasped at the earliest time.

Currently, the greatest opportunity arises from “carbon peaking, carbon neutrality”, a strategy implemented by China. The latest shipment that Osama will dispatch to Pakistan is a type of high-quality regenerated textile materials recycled from discarded plastic bottles.

“The Grand Canal is, in the first place, a channel of information flow that can transmit the world’s cutting-edge philosophy of development.” In the opinion of Osama, residents in Jiaxing have great sense and prefer to consider the Grand Canal as a “green river”. Residents in the city are environmentally conscious and think that growth cannot be sustained without green development.

Over the years, Osama has witnessed the miracle of “changing waste materials into things of value” in China’s textile industry.  Among the outstanding examples are a new kind of high-performance textile material made out of Alaskan crab legs, which is anti-bacteria, corrosion-resistant and thermal, lyocell made from wood pulp, bamboo pulp or straws, and poly-lactic acid extracted from corn and cassava. Advanced and green materials are being applied all over Jiaxing.

“China now contributes enormously to the global cause of environmental protection and serves as the benchmark for intelligent manufacturing.” As noted by Osama, guided by the green development philosophy, China is incorporating “unbridled” creativity into all basic necessities of life to pave up a new “silk road” that is environment-friendly and smart technology-driven.

“By the Grand Canal, dreams can blossom”

Interviewee: Adrien Brill (American, pizza shop owner)

Address: Zhejiang Hangzhou-Wulinli in Gongshu District

On weekends, an online trendy eatery named “La Pizza d’Adrien”, which is situated in Wulinli, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, is flooded with young diners who are fascinated by two kinds of food served there, namely, Smelly Mandarin Fish Pizza and West Lake Vinegar Fish Pizza.

Adrien, the good-looking canteen owner, who is 34 and fluent in Chinese, comes from Tucson in Arizona, US. After finishing his high school education, he came to China to study Chinese language and culture. After graduation, he along with his wife Xiaoqiu came to Huangshan, her hometown. In Nanxinan Village, they built a kiln to make pizza, and produced videos to show what they did and experienced in rural areas, but never did they expect that these videos went viral online so quickly.

Hangzhou is the southernmost city along the Grand Canal of China as well as an international city of innovation vitality, diversity and fashion. Adrien and his wife had long dreamed of starting their career in Hangzhou. In this September, they opened “La Pizza d’Adrien” in Hangzhou in an attempt to combine international gastronomy with the Chinese one. The newly-launched West Lake Vinegar Fish Pizza usually sold out shortly. As noted by Adrien, people in Hangzhou can accept innovative dishes with delight, and feel comfortable with cultural collision.

Adrien and his wife like sharing on their social media and have posted a lot to introduce their food. Posts on their specialty food and inspirational experiences go viral on the internet, getting their little restaurant a surge in visitors and consumption traffic.

“Hangzhou is a city where dreams can blossom.” Adrien said he would create more delicacies so that people from across the world could know about a more inclusive Hangzhou through “La Pizza d’Adrien” and get fond of China which is opening wider to the outside world.

“Comfort and tranquility, shared by everyone”

Interviewee: William Charles Smelser (American, foreign teacher at a high school)

Address: Jiangsu Yangzhou-Yangzhou High School Shu Ren Hall

Smelser comes from St. Louis, a city located between Missouri River and Mississippi River, which is also an important intersection of water systems.

“Situated by rivers, Yangzhou is peaceful and a good place to live in. Yangzhou has a lot of similarities with St. Louis, so I am fascinated.” Smelser, now aged 51, teaches history and psychology in the International Department of Yangzhou High School.

Yangzhou High School, where Smelser works as a teacher, is a celebrated century-old school that has cultivated  45 members of Academy of Sciences of China and many elites at all walks of life. This is an ideal education institution Smelser has long desired to work in.

Yangzhou is famous for its peaceful beauty, which stems from more than 2,500 years old history and culture.  Profound cultural heritage is transforming into a cultural advantage, spurring Smelser to set out for exploration. On weekends, he invites some foreign friends to taste delicious Yangzhou food, stroll around the ancient city, alleys and lanes or take a citywalk around Slender West Lake.

Many photos of Yangzhou are recorded in his mobile phone. He showed us one and said, “This is a photo of the night view I took by the side of the Grand Canal. Jubilating Dragon boats on the river, dazzling lights decorated in the trees, and citizens taking exercise ashore composed a picturesque scene. I took many photos and shared with my friends so that they could know how beautiful the city along the Grand Canal is.”

“Yangzhou is also brimming with vigor and vitality. Students in the school are very diligent and smart, and look at the world with curiosity and longing.” According to Smelser, after finishing high school education, many of his students will choose to study in the USA, UK, Canada, etc. “They act as a bridge for cultural and educational exchanges between China and foreign countries. I hope I can play the same role.”

The Grand Canal of China, which stretches 3,200 kilometers, ripples, with willows on both sides. Over 2,500 years, the Grand Canal has seen great changes in human affairs and natural landscapes.

How time flies! It has been a decade since the Grand Canal of China was inscribed on the World Heritage list. Based on their starting business, creating or teaching experiences, five foreign friends living or working in China have narrated how cities along the Grand Canal have transformed in terms of conservation, inheritance and utilization during the decade, and showed readers the charm and grandeur of the Grand Canal.

Looking into the future, China will further promote environmental conservation and restoration of the Grand Canal, strive to protect the canal-related cultural heritage in a systemic and holistic manner, and investigate more deeply into the culture of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal, which bears Chinese dream for a new era, is gaining momentum and rolling up the waves in an endless succession.

Authors: Zhou Mingtao, Yuan Wensheng, Ji Changqing, Zhang Xu and Qian Wei

Authors’ affiliation: Yangzhou Newspaper Media Group in Jiangsu Province, China