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Grand Canal |
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Grand Canal |
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　　 China¡¯s only waterway running from north to south is 1£¬747-kilometre-long Beijing--Hangzhou Canal£®It is 10 times the length of the Suez Canal(172£®5 kilometres in length£¬constructed in 1869)and 20 times that of the Panama Canal(81£®3 kilometres in length£¬ built in 1914)£®Ahhough the Grand Canal is not so imposing and famous as the Great Wall£®it embodies the superb wisdom of the Chinese nation £®It is a testimony of the historv of China£®
More than 2£¬000 years ago£¬the Grand Canal has played an important role in China¡¯s development£®The Great Wall of China was built as a barrier to block the entry of northern nomads and armies into the Middle Kingdom£®but the Grand Canal was dug to link the north and£®south of China politicallv and economically and culturally as well in ancient times£®
Joining five rivers¡ªthe Haihe£¬the Yellow River£¬the Huaihe River£®the Yangtze River and the Qiantang Rive-the Canal has long served as a means of transportation£®The sections of the Canal in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are still full of vitality£®Vendors paddle their boats directly to househoIds£¬shoDs and storehouses in local townships £®
Located at the southern end of the Beijing¡ªHangzhou Grand Canal£¬the capital city of East China¡¯s Zhejiang Province poured some 4 billion yuan(US$ 482 million)into cutting water pollution£®With a total length of 1£®794 kilometres making it the world¡¯s longest£¬the famous canal runs right through downtown Hangzhou£¬in its last passage of 18£®1 kilometres£®
Built around 605 to 610 in the Sui Dynasty£¬the Grand Canal is the Iongest man-made water channel in the world£®Beginning in Beijing£¬it runs through the Tianjin Municipality£¬North China¡¯s Hebei Province and East China¡¯s Shandong£¬Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces£¬the Canal has been one of the most important transportation channels linking North and South China£®
Returning Glory
By 2005£¬with the completion of the extension project of the Gteat Canal£®Hangzhou will be accessible to ships with a tonnage of 500 and below£®The extension project will connect Hangzhou with the world famous seaport Ningbo by linking a couple of rivers and waterways£®The extended section is 252 kilometres long£® Near Haining in East China¡¯s Zhejiang Province is one of the magnificent and amazing sights of nature in China£®Scientists say the bell£®shaped mouth 0f the Qiantang River near the city of Hangzhou helps form the not¡ªto-be¡ªmissed¡°Haining Bore£¬¡± which has a crest as high as 4 metres£®
International bore¡ªwatching festivals have been held annually since 1994£®During the festival tens of thousands of visitors go there to watch the spectacular view of the bore each year£®In China there are four magnificent sights of Nature£®The other three are a sea of clouds over Mount Huangshan£¬Anhui Province£®the trees¡¯rime fog(soft rime)in Jilin Province£¬and the sunrise at Mount Tai£®
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