WHS#73

Canals are a rather frequent, maybe a tad overrepresented, subject for WHS. After all, don't they all somewhat follow the same concept? Sure, maybe one is older, another makes use of interesting locks, and so on. Sure, very few canals (on their own, not as urban landscapes or aqueducts) actually end up on the list, but maybe it's the wrong selection. It's just strange that the 2 most important canals in the world, the Panama and Suez, don't feature on the list or even on the T-list. One canal that has gotten it's rightful recognition, though, is the Grand Canal of China. This is the grandfather of regional canal systems in the world, not just in age, but in the size of its network too. This literally connected the ends of one of the greatest oldest civilizations in the world, and it's remarkable to have survived to this day, intact across the region.

When I visited Suzhou in rainy June 2019, I made sure to check out the most famous street in the city, Shantang Street. It's just a short subway ride from the main train station, and it's really close to the Lingering Garden, one of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou. Shantang is a really atmospheric commercial area, mostly because of 2 things: its centuries-old buildings and the Grand Canal. Yes, canals form the heart of Suzhou as they were the centers of trade back in the day, and that means that they are often surrounded by the most historic buildings. One can only walk a rather short section of the canalside between the main road, which runs on a bridge above the canal, and the Tonggui Bridge, after which, the street curves behind the canalside buildings. One can actually take a boat ride on the canal even all the way to Tiger Hill, but my family was more interested in having a meal, which isn't a problem in Shantang. Pretty much every historic building is occupied by a restaurant, reflecting the original commercial purpose of the canal. Though it's a touristic area, much of the food is actually of good quality and decent prices. Do have some Suzhou-style (in our restaurant, translated as "Soviet-style") noodle soup; it was so good that I almost forgot my regrets of not getting a boat ride. Just a walk around the streets is a really great experience to see the architecture and culture, even if you stray from the canal. The inscribed area, though, is just the canal itself, so a boat ride would really be recommended, especially since it can take you to sections of the canal that can't be viewed from the streets. I just settled for soaking the whole scene up from the Tonggui Bridge before the rain got so strong we just decided to head back to the train station.

Though I couldn't really observe the non-urban stretches of the canal, it's safe to say that this is one canal project that really deserves its merit. This is a project that had never been done before in an isolated civilization, and has never since been equaled. It's also a representation of the commercial character of the Chinese civilization by being the center of trade back in the day, resulting in many historic cityscapes on its shores. It is actually these historic byproducts of the canal that make a visit such a great experience because it's proof that such a great canal has had such a great impact on its surroundings. That's why the Grand Canal is such a wonder.