China is striving to attain UNESCO listing for two sites of great historical significance. The Grand Canal and The Silk Road are two often overlooked treasures - yet both are ancient pathways and key means of transportation and cultural exchange.
China has launched a joint initiative with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to get UNESCO world heritage status for the silk road. The plan for the listing is truly ground-breaking territory.
Guo Zhan, Vice-President of Int'l Council Of Monuments And Sites, said, "The silk road connected the East and West for such a vast span of time. Nothing of its kind can compare to its significance."
The initiative for the Grand Canal has also grabbed international attention.
Guo said, "The Grand Canal connects 5 bodies of water in China through various types of terrain. It has played a crucial role in the development of the Chinese civilization.
The Canal is located in eastern China and runs through 8 major cities and provinces. It has been renovated and run by imperial dynasties since the fifth century and is about 18 hundred kilometres long. At 5 times that length, the silk road was a lifeline for cultural exchange in the ancient world.
China has made many bids to UNESCO in recent years, and now possesses 43 cultural heritage sites.
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