南北大运河——兼论运河文化的研究和保护

中国在先秦就有运河开凿,隋炀帝时疏凿了沟通首都洛阳的通济渠和永济渠。通济渠循邗沟越长江,并疏凿通江南运河而达杭州。元朝建都于今北京(大都),疏凿南北大运河,沟通从北京到杭州的航运。事实上钱塘江以南在先秦已有运河,经历代疏凿,皆称浙东运河,从杭州越钱塘江经绍兴至宁波长期畅通。故南北大运河,通常称京杭运河,而终点实在宁波,故应称京甬运河。南北大运河沿线文化资源丰富,因年代久远,多已破坏散失,实应修复保护。近年来绍兴市、县已经致力于此,成就可观,值得沿运各地的重视和仿效。

The Grand Canal--On the Protection of Canal Culture

The construction of Chinese canals can be dated back as early as to the Pre-Qin Period. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty opened the Tongji Canal. It, starting from the Sui capital, Luoyang, connected the Hangou Canal and was extended to Hangzhou across the Changjiang River and by way of the Jiangnan Canal. Since the Yuan Dynasty, when Dadu (now Beijing) was chosen as the capital, the Grand Canal became an important hinge between the North and South, which communicates the transportation from Beijing to Hangzhou. However, there had existed a canal in the Pre-Qin Period, which was known as the Eastern Zhejiang Canal, running from Hanghzou to Ningbo across the Qiantangjiang River and through Shaoxing. Therefore, the Grand Canal, also named the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, actually ends in Ningbo via the Eastern Zhejiang Canal, and it should be called the Beijing-Ningbo Grand Canal. Cultural resources along the North-South Grand Canal were abundant, but most of them were ruined. Substantial efforts need to be made to preserve them. To this, Shaoxin City is a good example in protecting canal culture and has scored great achievements.