Suqian gives canal's rust belt a face-lift

Although Suqian in East China's Jiangsu province is only 28 years old as a prefecture-level city, it boasts 112 kilometers of the Grand Canal, which dates back nearly 2,500 years and flows through eight provinces and municipalities.

The Suqian section of the Zhong Canal (literally the Middle Canal) is one of the 27 sections of the Grand Canal, totaling 1,011 kilometers, which gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014.

Dug by Jin Fu, an official known for his skill in hydraulic engineering during the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722), the Zhong Canal was for taming the Yellow River and accelerating the country's south-north water transportation.