Journal of Advance Research in Social Science & Humanities ISSN: 2208-2387 Methods and Paths for Building Characteristic Cultural Brand of Henan Section of the Grand Canal WANG Zhongli 1, YANG Yongfang 2 (1. College of Cultural Industry and Tourism Management, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan 475001, China; 2. College of Environment and Planning, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan 475004, China) Abstract: Henan Section of the Grand Canal is an essential part of China’s Grand Canal cultural belt construction. It is an important link between the inland, grassland and maritime civilization in ancient China. Besides, it is also a pivotal hub for the extensive exchange of world civilizations. It has nurtured the early Central Plain City Clusters. The canal system connecting the north and the south has guaranteed the water balance and water security of ancient China. Based on the analysis of the actual problems in construction of the cultural belt of Henan Section of the Grand Canal, this paper analyzed the paths and possibilities of the innovative use of the Grand Canal culture in the new era. It is recommended to take advantage of the cultural resources of the Grand Canal to optimize the urban spatial pattern, rebuild the water ecological civilization system of Henan Province, and build a rest space shared by the hosts and the guests to meet people’s ever- increasing needs for a better life. Key words Grand Canal cultural belt; Cultural space; Ecological civilization The Grand Canal (of China) has a total length of about 4,000 km, spanning more than 10 latitudes, linking up five major water systems, and connecting 35 cities in eight provinces (municipalities directly under the central government). The cultural added value of the Grand Canal takes up more than 50% of China’s cultural industry [1]. In February and June of 2017, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, made important instructions on the protection, inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal, and pointed out the direction for promoting the construction of the Grand Canal cultural belt. He pointed out that it is required to “protect, inherit, and utilize well” the historical and cultural resources of the Grand Canal, and stated that the protection of Grand Canal is a common responsibility of all regions along the Grand Canal. Building coastal and riverside cultural belts is an important trend in the development of world culture. The strategy of building the Grand Canal cultural belt is China's first belt development strategy mainly oriented towards cultural Volume-5 | Issue-2 | Feb,2018 51 Journal of Advance Research in Social Science & Humanities ISSN: 2208-2387 construction [2]. The Grand Canal cultural belt has a direct connection with China’s “Belt and Road” construction strategy, Yangtze River Economic Belt strategy, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy [3]. As a core part of the Grand Canal, Henan Section of the Grand Canal has a long history and profound influence. The Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties were its heyday. At that time, it was the economic lifeline, it undertook an important function of water transport and played a major role in promoting the development of coastal cities [4]. Through consulting the existing literature, we made a preliminary exploration on the methods and paths for building characteristic cultural brand of the Grand Canal. Firstly, we analyzed the historical evolution and cultural value of the Grand Canal, and summarized the value of characteristic culture of the Grand Canal at the present stage. Next, on the basis of the existing policies and current social situations, we analyzed the actual difficulties in building characteristic cultural brands. Besides, combining the actual situations of Henan Province, we came up with some policy recommendations for methods and paths for building characteristic cultural brand of the Grand Canal. In addition, it is hoped that the analysis of actual difficulties will provide certain guidance on future in-depth theoretical studies. At present, the construction of the Grand Canal cultural belt is still at the starting stage, and the studies on the Henan Section of the Grand Canal are few. Therefore, it is of great significance to probe the construction of cultural belt of Henan Section of the Grand Canal, explore the value of Grand Canal culture and build the Grand Canal cultural belt, for enhancing the cultural confidence, building a well-off society in an all-round way, and realizing the dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. 1 Historical evolution and cultural value of Henan Section of the Grand Canal 1.1 Historical evolution of Henan Section of the Grand Canal In ancient times, people in the Central Plains had a fine tradition of using natural waterways to control and use water to benefit them. They have a long history of artificially digging canals. Emperor Yu taming the flood and digging of Hong Gou (“Canal of the Wild Geese" or "Far-Flung Canal") are not only the important beginning of the canal history of Henan Province, but also main root vein of the Grand Canal culture. Henan Section of the Grand Canal consists of “Bai Gou” (Bai Ditch), Yongji Canal, Yu River and Wei River, Hong Volume-5 | Issue-2 | Feb,2018 52 Journal of Advance Research in Social Science & Humanities ISSN: 2208-2387 Gou and Yang Canal, Tongji Canal and Bian River, and the front section of Huitong River of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It experienced three important development stages: Western Zhou to Sui dynasties, Tang Dynasty to Northern Song Dynasty, and Yuan Dynasty to the middle of the 20th century. Tongji Canal, repaired on the ancient Hong Gou of the Warring States, not only inherited the former canal waterway of the Central Plains, but also started the large-scale Grand Canal project of Sui and Tang dynasties. Henan Section of the Grand Canal carries the profound traditional Chinese culture that has been accumulated since the pre-Qin period and has become an important source of Chinese Grand Canal culture since the Sui and Tang dynasties. Thus, Henan Section of the Grand Canal is not only the main root vein of the Grand Canal river course, but also the important cultural root vein of the Grand Canal. The river course of Henan Section of the Grand Canal has undergone great changes, some river courses are buried underground, and the ancient canal and the rivers in use are interlaced with each other, forming a unique shape of canal waterway of Henan Province. Henan Grand Canal cultural belt is not only a linear cultural belt, but also a unique fan-shaped cultural area with a “Y shape” as the main body composed of many different periods of river course relics. Fig. 1 Map for “Y shape” of Henan Section of the Grand Canal 1.2 Cultural value of Henan Section of the Grand Canal The excavation of the Grand Canal has a profound influence on ancient Chinese society, and it should be placed in a long historical process to study its significance and value [5]. The value of Henan Section of the Grand Canal is mainly manifested in the following aspects. Volume-5 | Issue-2 | Feb,2018 53 Journal of Advance Research in Social Science & Humanities ISSN: 2208-2387 1.2.1 Henan Section of the Grand Canal is the main carrier of Chinese excellent traditional culture. Flowing from the birthplace of Chinese traditional culture, Henan Section of the Grand Canal is a flowing cultural corridor. In areas along the Henan Section of the Grand Canal and surrounding areas, there appeared Chinese classical thoughts such as Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism, preserved the material cultural heritage such as Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “Center of Heaven and Earth”, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, Capital of Song Dynasty in Kaifeng, Yin Dynasty ruins in Anyang, kept the non- material cultural heritage such as opera culture, Kungfu culture, Bian embroidery, mandarin porcelain, and new year wood-block prints, and integrated the cultural spirit such as Emperor Yu taming the flood, the Foolish Old Man removing the mountains, Yuefei's utmost loyalty in serving the country, and administering the country with clean government. These together manifest the Chinese cultural value, cultural spirit and cultural confidence. 1.2.2 Henan Section of the Grand Canal is a core channel for the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. Henan Section of the Grand Canal connects the relatively independent natural economic zones from north to south, making up for the shortcomings of difficult transport between north and south due to few north-south rivers and barrier of land transport by mountains and rivers, and facilitating the integrated development of five water systems, namely, Hai River, Yellow River, Huai River, Yangtze River and Qiantang River [6]. Henan Section of the Grand Canal is a core channel connecting the Yellow River civilization, Yangtze River civilization, grassland civilization, and integrating and inheriting Chinese civilization. In the course of the inheritance and development of the Chinese civilization, the Henan Grand Canal Cultural Belt, based on the core area of “being in the middle of the world”, connected the regional cultures such as Guanzhong Culture, Jianghuai Culture, Wuyue Culture, Yanzhao Culture and Beijing-Tianjin Culture, promoted the cultural exchange between the north and the south, the west and the east, drove the integration of multiculturalism, promoted the construction of a multi-integrated Chinese civilization system, and created the unified, inclusive and open Chinese culture, strengthened the cohesion and centripetal force of Chinese nation, expanded the radiation and influence of the Chinese civilization, and accordingly have exerted a profound impact on the inheritance and innovation of the Chinese civilization.