Home
» City specials
» Hangzhou
Historic sites conjure heyday of Grand Canal
Print Edition
IN ancient times, China’s Grand Canal — a man-made river stretching from Hangzhou to Beijing — was a thriving belt of commerce and culture. By the 1990s though, this centuries-old waterway had lost much of its charm as cars and high-speed trains replaced riverine travel.
Over recent years though, local authorities in Hangzhou have attempted to revive the canal’s former splendor by restoring and reconstructing many of its old buildings. Here is a look at some of the best local attractions on this historic waterway.
Qianlong’s engraved tablet
For many years, the engraved tablet located in Tangqi Town was considered a marker of the boundary between Hangzhou and Huzhou. Later, the tablet was slowly surrounded by houses; until it all but disappeared from public view.
When local authorities launched a cultural relics survey in 1985, they discovered the tablet and reported it to the Hangzhou government. At the time, archeologists could only read two characters “钦此,” a term meaning “by the emperor himself” in ancient royal edicts.
It was in the same year that cultural authorities began to compile the history of Tangqi. After sifting through mountains of historical materials, archeologists confirmed it came from Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), one of the most notable rulers in imperial history.
When Qianlong inspected Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces in 1751, he found only Zhejiang had not skimped on its grain deliveries to the imperial court. To reward Zhejiang residents and encourage other provinces to follow its example, the emperor exempted Zhejiang from a grain payment of 300,000 liang (15,000 kilograms). He had this edict engraved on a tablet for the public to view.
Buddhist pagoda in Xiangji Temple
In ancient times, Xiangji Temple drew a steady stream of believers thanks to its favorable location near the Grand Canal. In the surrounding area, it was matched only in status by Hangzhou’s famed Lingyin Temple.
The temple was built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) as a place to worship Kinnara, a celestial musician and a half-human, half-horse divinity. In parts of Southeast Asia, Kinnara is depicted as half-bird.
In the rein of Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722), two pagodas featuring engraved Buddha figures and scriptures were built in the temple. They differentiated from those in Lingyin Temple by virtue of their carved patterns and the size of their eaves.
One pagoda was demolished by war, and the remaining one was listed as a protected site in 1968. Today, it is Hangzhou’s only stone pagoda built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) wooden architectural style.
Like many ancient temples, Xiangji has been restored several times throughout its history. The last restoration came in 2009, a project commissioned by the Hangzhou government.
Fuyi Granary
Gongshu District used to have many warehouses since it is at the southern terminus of the Grand Canal. Over recent centuries, many of these storage facilities have been destroyed. Fuyi Granary is the last strategic national grain stockpile on the Grand Canal’s Hangzhou section. It has been called “China’s granary,” a name also given to Beijing’s Nanxin Warehouse.
During the Qing Dynasty, it was a major grain distribution center for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River with around 800,000 to 1,000,000 kilograms of grains in store. But over time the granary declined and was converted into an industrial plant and dwellings in late 20th century.
In 2007 the government restored its original design. A park containing relics and a collection of Qing-style buildings have also been built on the site. A host of creative boutiques also gives the site a modern touch.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
