In November this year, in the 10th "Challenge Cup" National College Students' Extracurricular Academic and Technological Works Competition, University of Science and Technology Beijing's "Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal" investigation report won the first prize. The newspaper now publishes the "Canal History and Culture" part of the report for the benefit of readers.
Research Methods
■ The State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the University of Science and Technology of Beijing archaeological science and technology experts on the research team members for training.
■ The research group conducted fieldwork on the water source, water quality, water conservancy facilities and the surrounding environment of the canal on foot and by bicycle to analyze the causes of the problems.
■ The research group communicated with the people along the canal to understand the changes of the canal and the lost folk culture.
■ The research team took the initiative to contact the governments of the cities along the canals and related organizations to organize a series of symposiums.
During the whole research process, the research team*** distributed more than 15,700 copies of canal knowledge publicity materials, 2581 questionnaires, recovered 2,487 valid questionnaires, and carried out the "Protect the Canal, support the bid" 10,000 people signing activities, which radiated nearly one million people. The research team also interviewed more than 70 experts, scholars and government officials, and talked with the Tianjin Municipal Water Conservancy Bureau, Zhangwei South Canal Authority, Cangzhou City Bureau of Cultural Relics and other 26 government departments.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was excavated in the late Spring and Autumn period, shaped in the Sui Dynasty, developed in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and formed a complete canal system in the Yuan Dynasty. After successive repairs and rerouting, the canal eventually formed a 1,794-kilometer-long "golden waterway", which has a history of nearly 2,500 years.
As a golden channel for communicating between the north and the south in ancient times, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has been the political, economic and military lifeline of successive dynasties, and has played an extremely important role in promoting economic prosperity, integrating the cultures of the north and the south, and passing on the spirit of the nation. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has a vast basin and is dotted with cultural monuments.
Where is the former glory of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal? How does it look now? Why is it so difficult to apply for the inscription? With these questions in mind, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Student Research Group of the University of Science and Technology Beijing formed 13 research teams***144 people went to 6 provinces and 18 cities along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to conduct a half-year comprehensive research on the Grand Canal, and at the same time, launched the "Protect the Canal, Support the Bid for the Heritage" 10,000 people along the river to sign the campaign.
Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal north and south of the situation is very different, there are different problems, at present mainly concentrated in the following areas:
■ Natural environment damage is serious
Mainly for the reduction of water, water shortage; serious pollution, water quality is poor; water conservancy facilities management failure, water conservancy projects have been seriously aged, most of them are in disrepair, has not been able to play its due role. Due to the different situation of the north and south sections of the canal, the same facilities also play a different role.
The environment around the canal is poor, and the management of the Grand Canal has been divided into various provinces and cities along the way, which has caused great difficulties for the overall protection and management of the canal. Coupled with the low environmental awareness of some coastal residents, the canal is more difficult to rectify. The development of modern transportation industry makes the shipping value of the canal greatly reduced.
■ Degradation of socio-economic functions
1. Inadequate performance of the shipping function
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal used to have well-developed shipping, and it was an important channel for the transportation of north-south materials and an important waterway for the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone. Even now, there are about 100,000 ships sailing on the canal every year, and the annual transportation volume is three times that of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. However, judging from the current water level, water conservancy facilities and other overall conditions of the Grand Canal, it is no longer possible for the Grand Canal to be fully navigable, and nearly half of the river sections have been closed for navigation. The Grand Canal is only 800 kilometers navigable throughout the year, and only 1,000 kilometers navigable seasonally.
2. Difficult to meet the two sides of the agricultural irrigation and domestic water demand
In the survey, only 30.25% of the coastal residents that the canal water can still be used for cooking and bathing and washing clothes and other daily cleaning, most residents have been basically no use of the concept of the canal water.
■ Amazing loss of cultural heritage
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has nurtured people from generation to generation, and has given birth to one famous city and town after another, leaving behind one cultural relic after another.
There are some differences in the degree of understanding of the cultural relics and monuments along the canal and the customs and habits of the residents in different places, and it is also necessary to strengthen the publicity and education on the culture of the canal.
Damage of cultural relics and monuments
Along the canal, 654 cultural relics protection units have been announced and registered, of which 109 are national key cultural relics protection units, and nine cities are national historical and cultural cities. In Tongzhou, Beijing, for example, there are more than 100 canal-related buildings and 2,000 movable cultural relics along the 36-kilometer canal, such as the Burning Dawn Sharip Pagoda and the Shiba Wharf. In addition, heritage protection plans for some sections of the canals are being formulated, and some sections of the canals have been launched for environmental improvement and rescue and repair of cultural relics. For example, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, the Xiaohe River has directly prepared a conservation plan for the historic district, and Hangzhou City has constructed a canal museum. In Jiangsu Suzhou Hanshan Temple, attractions built along the river, the protection work is also very good, the tour guide is also in the process of tourists vigorously promote the introduction of local history and culture. Undoubtedly, while tourism and other industries drive economic development, they can better call for the protection of cultural heritage and the inheritance of the spirit of history and culture, but all these must be built on the basis of having unified, perfect and sound protection measures.
Survey found that some places along the canal residual little of the ancient houses, ancient streets, ancient alley and buried or for the grass cover the locks and dams, embankments, monuments, etc., not only did not excavate and organize or to take corresponding protective measures, but also on the contrary, the construction of pseudo-monuments, peddling of fake antiques, artificially destroying the original appearance of the canal. For example, the demolition of ancient houses in Tianjin, Botou section of the "Zhengtai Tea House" residential remodeling, Suzhou Xishan building, etc., due to the lack of effective protection, is now about 20% per year the rate of extinction.
The loss of folk craft
Folk craft is folk artists in accordance with their habits and aesthetic perspective, local materials, handmade arts and crafts, is the folk culture of the local treasures. The water of the canal has nourished the dexterous people of the canal, who have created a number of folk crafts with local characteristics.
Along the canal, there are peasant paintings, paper-cutting, clay play, cloth play, noodle man, kites, lanterns, toys, sugar man, wood carving, stone carving, embroidery, woodblock prints, grass weaving, willow weaving, embroidery brocade and other forms of folk art. Among them, more than 30 folk art forms handed down from Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province are well preserved. Dongchangfu District, numerous folk craft works, the most representative of Dongchang New Year's paintings, Liangshui gourds, Liaocheng (ancient Dongchangfu) and Weifang Yangjiabu and called Shandong's two major folk painting city.
But folk crafts are dying out. In every family has Su embroidery, everyone knows Su embroidery, every household understands Su embroidery of Jiangsu hundred famous towns - Suzhou Hushuguan first town, the original prevalence of the characteristics of the grass weaving process, in the Su embroidery of the prosperity of the development of the town, but the demise of all. The development of handicrafts has undoubtedly brought about commercial activity and the rise of cities, but under market competition, the protection of intangible cultural heritage is more difficult and neglected. Along with the large-scale reconstruction of the city, the historical lineage along the canal has also become indecipherable. Old artists are aging and there are no successors for their skills. Protection is a race against time, and rescue work is imminent.
The decline of folk art
The Grand Canal absorbed and integrated the folklore, food and clothing, religious beliefs, rituals of the government and the people in the north and south of China, forming a unique canal style and folk culture. One of its most significant features is the marketplace culture, in which people organize various festivals in anticipation of prosperous incense, good weather, and all the best. For example, every year in the Spring Festival, dragon lanterns, dry boats, stilt walkers and lion dancers walk along the streets and alleys in an endless stream, making the festival very lively. In addition, more than a hundred kinds of operas have also witnessed the cultural life of the canal people. In Tianjin, for example, there are nearly 20 kinds of music arts, including commentary, comedy, Meihua drums, Leting drums, Xihe drums, and so on.
However, with the decline of the function of the canal, the value of the canal has been sharply reduced, and the folk art fed by the canal can hardly escape the fate of decline. Certain villages along the canal are in a state of natural development, and many places do not even have basic places for recreational activities. Most areas, especially economically backward areas, to varying degrees of "cultural desert" and "cultural dead zone".
The most typical of these is the Canal Horn, which has been included in the Collection of Chinese Folk Songs. People who live along the northern canal all year round still hum and sing the canal bugle which has been handed down from generation to generation, but due to the lack of water in the canal and even the cut-off of its flow, it is no longer possible to hear the real canal bugle sung by the boatmen when they are pulling the boat along the river bank. This kind of folk art formed in the canal transportation, with the decline of the canal transportation, has gradually become "a thousand-year-old song". It is gratifying that the relevant departments have begun to pay attention to the canal bugle this canal culture heritage, Tongzhou, Yangzhou area canal bugle collection and finishing work is underway.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is an important heritage of national culture and a ****same wealth for all mankind. However, many problems in the protection of the historical and cultural heritage of the Grand Canal have drawn our attention. We believe that, in addition to the lack of unified planning and management of the Grand Canal and the relatively weak awareness of some members of the public about the protection of cultural heritage, there are two main reasons: first, the research work related to the canal culture remains on the surface, and the research on culture, history and other aspects, especially on the intangible culture, is relatively weak; secondly, some people in today's society are limited to the immediate benefits of wealth, and neglect the inheritance and protection of the ancient culture, resulting in the cultural heritage being lost. Secondly, some people in today's society are limited to the realization of wealth in the immediate interests, ignoring the inheritance and protection of ancient culture, resulting in the cultural heritage due to the lack of economic benefits and dying.
■ Protection measures and recommendations for the inscription
While the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is facing more problems, the governments at all levels along the canal are also increasing their efforts in the protection and management of the canal, and they have introduced relevant protection policies and programs, and have continuously increased the investment in manpower, material and financial resources, and have achieved certain results. With the continuous advancement of the bidding and protection work, the Grand Canal has received more and more attention from all walks of life.
We propose to establish a unified management and coordination mechanism and set up a multi-party working group on the protection and inscription of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The main participants should include cultural relics protection organizations, local governments along the canal, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Transportation and its corresponding grass-roots departments, canal-related staff, experts and scholars, so as to unify the management and coordination of the Great Canal along the protection of the localities, the management, development, and heritage work.
■ ■ Tourism resources development of excessive negative effects
Survey found that the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal's tourism resources not only have not been fully developed and utilized, in the limited development of the canal has also produced many negative impacts.
(1) underdevelopment of tourism resources
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal along both the pagodas and temples, ancient streets and lanes and other cultural relics and monuments, as well as drama and opera, lanterns and pottery and other folk art and folk handicrafts, tourism resources are extremely rich. In the survey, a member of the public said, "We have stone slabs from the Tang Dynasty, tiles from the Song Dynasty, thresholds from the Ming Dynasty, windows from the Qing Dynasty, and modern facilities inside." But the tourism resources of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal have not been fully developed and the economic output is low.
(2) Unreasonable Development Destroys Tourism Resources
The cities along the riverbanks lacked reasonable planning and protection in the tourism development of the canal, and many sections of the river were blindly pushed for tourism development without reasonable division of buffer zones and protection zones. Developers in order to build popular tourist attractions, construction of large-scale construction of canal culture square, canal park. Excessive construction of buildings, randomly remodeling the river, so that the original appearance of the Grand Canal and the cultural heritage along the banks of the Grand Canal has been damaged to varying degrees, the ancient culture of the Canal and the modern urban atmosphere is not a reasonable combination, but also not conducive to the construction of a harmonious society.
Some interviewees' knowledge of and support for the canal's inscription
Beijing-Tianjin section:
Thirty-nine percent knew that the Hangzhou Grand Canal is now being declared as a world cultural heritage; when asked about the necessity of declaring the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal as a world cultural heritage, those who thought there was no necessity for it was 24.24%, those who thought it was necessary for it to be declared was 42.42%, those who said it was not necessary for it to be declared were 33.33%.
Ninety-two percent supported the declaration of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal as a world cultural heritage, 2.21 percent did not, and 5.15 percent could not say. After the interviewed people understood the importance of protecting the Grand Canal, a large majority of them expressed their support for the declaration of the world cultural heritage.
Xuzhou to Suqian section:
Almost 60 percent of the people did not know that the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was being declared a world cultural heritage. Of course, almost everyone agrees that it is necessary to declare the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal as a world cultural heritage and gives their support.
Wujiang to Hangzhou section:
54.93% know that the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is now being declared as a world cultural heritage; when asked about the necessity of declaring the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal as a world cultural heritage, 1.41% think it is not necessary, 94.37% think it is necessary, and 4.23% can't say; 98.59% support the declaration of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal as a world cultural heritage. 1.41% don't support it, and zero can't say.
Some interviewees' knowledge of the history of the canal and its culture
Beijing-Tianjin section:
The number of interviewees who did not know anything about the history of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was 12.78%, those who knew a little about it were 57.89%, and those who knew basically about it were 25.56%. 41.67% did not know anything about local cultural relics and monuments related to the canal, and 58.33% knew something about them. As for the knowledge of local music, dance, drama, literature, folk art, folklore and folklore, 53.85% did not know and 46.15% knew something about them.
The section from Tianjin to Cangzhou:
50.2% of the respondents chose to know a little bit about the history of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, 18.7% chose to know basically, and 15.6% knew a lot about it, while 15.6% did not know anything about it. 15.6% of the respondents knew a lot and 15.6% didn't know anything about it. A large proportion of the respondents could tell stories about the canal, but very few knew the specific history of the canal, and a large proportion of them did not even know that the ditch in front of their homes was the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
Xuzhou to Suqian section:
Most people know more or less about the history of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, but little is known about the cultural relics and monuments related to the Canal, and the Qinhuai River and Guazhou Ancient Ferry are generally known. As for art and folklore, about 30% of the people know about Anhui Liuqin Opera, Anhui Huangmei Opera, Yueju Opera, Yu Opera and Flower Drum Opera.
Walking on the canal
Zhang Heqiang, a student at the University of Science and Technology Beijing
In the month before the summer vacation, I have been thinking hard about what I should do in this practice, and I want to do some meaningful research, and I want to cherish this opportunity to raise my ability and level to a new level.
One day, I saw the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal summer social practice team recruiting posters, my eyes lit up, and my thoughts opened. So I went to the practice department to consult, confirmed that the project has an unusual significance. I began to "search" for talents around me to join my team. According to the recruitment requirements, we need to have local classmates to liaise with, digital cameras, laptops, DVs, etc., and talents in journalism, finance, security, investigation, advocacy, etc. I called on my social talents to help me find the right people to join my team. I pulled out my social talent pool: Shandong hometown associations, friends who started their own businesses together, and friends who work and study together, and after a lot of tossing and turning, an excellent team from several colleges and different classes was born! And I, the person in charge of this team.
Preparing, discussing, interviewing, and then waiting for the result of passing. After negotiation, the practice department let us be in charge of the Shandong Liaocheng section, the team members are incredibly excited, we are full of confidence in this practice.
Because the prior schedule was heavily influenced by the weather and other factors, we had to re-adjust and improvise almost every day of our trip. The hot Liaocheng, interspersed with the scent of the northern water city of Jiangbei, was unusually sultry, and often the whole body was covered with fine vapor, which made the body sticky from morning to night. Due to the hiking interviews consume a lot of physical energy, the team members for the practice of the work of the intensity of underestimation, resulting in physical overdraft, individual team members appeared to slacken off and fear of difficulties. The good thing is that each member of the team's self-control ability is relatively strong, small disharmony did not affect the team's work process, sometimes on the contrary, the formation of a kind of competition, competition, fighting spirit multiply, but let the team in such conditions to overcome a lot of difficulties.
In the practice, there are four days are all day hiking in-depth grassroots interviews, questionnaires, very hard. However, the team members did not get scared, two groups, in-depth interviews, careful records, for the protection of the Grand Canal and heritage shouldering a responsibility. Sometimes when we saw the serious work of a group of shots, a wave of emotion welled up in our hearts. With the increase of a questionnaire, the organization of a folk story, the completion of an interview manuscript, and the accumulation of a photo of the Canal, everyone came back every day with a smile on their faces. But as soon as I lay down, I heard the team snoring.
In addition to the field visits, we also had to interview relevant units and government departments. The local authorities gave us great support. The door was open for us wherever we went. It was a relief and a joy to be able to do so.
We made nine spray boards to introduce our practical activities, the content of our activities, and the condition of the canal, which were used to attract people, to make a speech, and to combine the speech with signatures and questionnaires. We had successful preaching and signing activities in Linqing Popular Park and Guangyue Tower in the center of Liaocheng City.
The days of fighting against difficulties were tiring but joyful, and if we were to do it all over again, each of us would gladly accept it.
(This article is selected from the University of Science and Technology Beijing "Canal, I want to say to you" essay. The title is added by the editor.)