Level 3 Reading 8A

Ch.15

第15章

Reading 8A CHINA'S GRAND CANAL For centuries, the power of Chinese emperors rose and fell with their control of the Grand Canal. Today, this waterway is shorter than it once was, but it is still the longest man-made river in the world. Importantly, the Grand Canal continues to provide a vital cultural and economic link for modern China. Construction Begins The original canal system began around the year 605. China's Emperor Yang realized that he needed a better way to feed his army. Specifically, he needed a way to move food quickly from China's southern rice growing region to the country 's north. So, the emperor ordered the construction of the first section of the Grand Canal, connecting existing canals, lakes, and rivers. An estimated one million people—mostly farmers—worked on the construction, which took six years. Over the next 500 years, the canal's importance grew. However, by 1127, parts had begun to deteriorate. In 1279, Kublai Khan began to repair and build new parts of the canal. This renovation created a more direct north-south route to and from Beijing. Future rulers continued to expand and improve the waterway, and it eventually became a vital national lifeline. In addition to moving rice around China, the Grand Canal was an important cultural conduit. Soldiers, merchants, and artists transported ideas, regional foods, and cultural practices from one part of China to another. According to legend, this is how Beijing acquired two of its best-known trademarks.

阅读8A 中国大运河 几个世纪以来，中国皇帝的权力随着他们对大运河的控制而兴衰。 今天，这条水道比以前短了， 但它仍然是世界上最长的人工河。 重要的是，大运河继续为现代中国提供重要的文化和经济联系。 施工开始 最初的运河系统始于605年左右。 中国皇帝杨意识到他需要一种更好的方式来养活他的军队。 具体来说，他需要一种方法，将粮食从中国南方的水稻种植区快速转移到北方。 因此，皇帝下令修建大运河的第一段，连接现有的运河、湖泊和河流。 据估计，有100万人——主要是农民——参与了这项耗时六年的建设。 在接下来的500年里，运河的重要性与日俱增。 然而，到1127年，零件已经开始变质。 1279年，忽必烈开始修复和修建运河的新部分。 这次翻修创造了一条往返北京的更直接的南北路线。 未来的统治者继续扩建和改善水道，最终使其成为重要的国家生命线。 除了在中国各地运送大米外，大运河还是一条重要的文化通道。 士兵、商人和艺术家将思想、地方美食和文化习俗从中国的一个地区传播到另一个地区。 据传说，这就是北京获得其两个最著名商标的方式。

Peking duck, a dish from Shandong Province, and the Peking opera, from Anhui and Hubei regions, were both brought north via the canal. The Modern Canal For more than a thousand years, goods have been transported along the Grand Canal. Even today, the country's watery highway plays an important economic role in China. Boats continue to carry tons of coal, food, and other goods to points between Hangzhou and Jining— now the northernmost city the canal reaches. In addition, local governments—eager to increase tourism and real estate development—are beautifying areas along the canal. This development comes at a price, though. In Yangzhou, the city has torn down almost all of the older canal-side buildings. Farther south in the cities of Zhenjiang, Wuxi, and Hangzhou, the situation is similar. In Hangzhou, for example, almost all of the ancient buildings have been demolished. "Traditionally we talk about 18 main cities on the Grand Canal, and each had something unique and special about it," explains Zhou Xinhua, the former vice director of the Grand Canal museum in Hangzhou. "But now many of these cities are all the same: a thousand people with one face." In 2005, a group of citizens proposed that the historic Grand Canal be made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This status would protect both the waterway and the architecture around it. "Every generation wants the next generation to understand it, to look at its monuments," said Zhu Bingren, an artist who cowrote this proposal. UNESCO status was officially granted in 2014. The hope now is that the Grand Canal—one of the world's great engineering accomplishments— will continue to link north and south China for centuries to come. CHINA'S LIFELINE This map shows the extent of China's Grand Canal at the height of its golden age (1368-1855). Running 1,770 kilometers from Beijing to Hangzhou, the canal transported everything from food to wood to textiles. Beginning in 1751, Emperor Qianlong (above) made six inspection tours of the Grand Canal, visiting different ports and cultural sites. By 1855, the Yellow River had changed course, destroying parts of the canal.

北京烤鸭，一道山东菜，还有京剧， 来自安徽和湖北地区的人都是通过运河带到北方的。 现代运河 一千多年来，货物一直沿着大运河运输。 即使在今天，该国的水上高速公路在中国仍发挥着重要的经济作用。 船只继续将数吨煤炭、食品和其他货物运往杭州和济宁之间的各个地点-- 现在是运河到达的最北端的城市。 此外，渴望增加旅游业和房地产开发的地方政府正在美化运河沿岸地区。 然而，这一发展是有代价的。 在扬州，这座城市几乎拆除了所有旧的运河边建筑。 在更南边的镇江、无锡和杭州，情况也类似。 例如，在杭州，几乎所有的古建筑都被拆除了。 “传统上，我们谈论的是大运河上的18个主要城市，每个城市都有其独特之处。” 杭州大运河博物馆前副馆长周新华解释说。 “但现在这些城市中有许多都是一样的：一千个人只有一张脸。” 2005年，一群公民提议将历史悠久的大运河列为联合国教科文组织世界遗产。 这一地位将保护水道及其周围的建筑。 朱炳仁说：“每一代人都希望下一代人了解它，看看它的纪念碑。”， 一位与人合著这篇提案的艺术家。 教科文组织地位于2014年正式授予。 现在的希望是，大运河——世界上最伟大的工程成就之一-- 在未来的几个世纪里，它将继续连接中国北方和南方。 中国的生命线 这张地图显示了中国大运河在黄金时代（1368-1855）的高度。 这条运河从北京到杭州全长1770公里，运输着从食物到木材再到纺织品的一切。 从1751年开始，乾隆皇帝（上图）对大运河进行了六次考察，参观了不同的港口和文化遗址。 到1855年，黄河改道，部分运河被毁。

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