Grand Canal proposed to be included in world heritage list

时间：2007-03-09 02:58:33

（单词翻译:单击）

Chinanews, Beijing, Mar1. 7 – “If the Great Wall is said to be the backbone2 of the Chinese people, then the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the flesh and blood of the Chinese,” said Shan Jixiang, director of State Bureau of Cultural Relics3 on Tuesday in an interview given to a reporter from the Beijing News.

 

Shan, who is also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, said that he would make a proposal this year for China to apply for inclusion of the Grand Canal on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. In his proposal, he would urge China to make laws and regulations on the protection of the ancient project as soon as possible.

 

The Grand Canal is the only water system in China that runs in a direction from south to north. It was first built in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC – 476 BC) and was rebuilt during the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), with its entire length now reaching 1,794 kilometers. It runs through Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and links the Haihe, Huanghe (Yellow River), Huaihe, Yangtze and Qiantang rivers.

 

Both the central and local governments have made special efforts to protect the man-made project. The Grand Canal had been included among the first batch4 of China’s ancient projects that need protection. In addition, the central government had allocated5 a huge sum of funds to protect the river. Despite all these efforts, the ancient project is still under threat from human activities and natural damages, Shan said.

 

“In some parts, the canal has run out of water while in some other parts, it is even difficult to trace the remains6 of the canal. In some sections, the canal is polluted by sewage water while in other sections, the cultural remains along the river have been destroyed. In some places, the river’s cultural and historical integrity has been seriously destroyed due to human beings' improper7 exploitation of the river. Apart from these, the river also suffers from human mismanagement. Sometimes, people dug another branch channel from the river or blocked the stream of the river for its water resources. As a result, the river has changed its course at some parts and in other parts, it is either abandoned by people or replaced with a new project. All this has caused a serious damage to the canal as well as its cultural remains, ” said Shan.

 

In addition, China lacks comprehensive knowledge of the cultural remains along the river and the current laws and regulations are not adequate enough to support the protection work. In addition, the funds put in by various local governments to protect the river are insufficient8 at present, Shan said.

 
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1 mar f7Kzq     
vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟
参考例句：
  • It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
  • Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。
2 backbone ty0z9B     
n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气
参考例句：
  • The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
  • The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。
3 relics UkMzSr     
[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸
参考例句：
  • The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
  • Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。
4 batch HQgyz     
n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量
参考例句：
  • The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
  • I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。
5 allocated 01868918c8cec5bc8773e98ae11a0f54     
adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
  • The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
  • More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。
6 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
参考例句：
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
7 improper b9txi     
adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的
参考例句：
  • Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
  • Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。
8 insufficient L5vxu     
adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的
参考例句：
  • There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
  • In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

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