Ancient sites link with future

The Grand Canal

Running from Beijing to Zhejiang province, the approximately 2,000-km-long waterway, whose oldest section dates to the 5th century BC, links five major river basins in China and in olden times acted as an artery to ensure the country's economic prosperity. This gigantic network was the world's largest and most extensive civil-engineering project before the Industrial Revolution, and is still used as a key channel of communication today.

Xi said on construction of a cultural belt along the canal in 2017 that the Grand Canal is a precious legacy and he urged the utmost protection and utilization of the waterway.