IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A

Abstract

China’s Grand Canal became a World Heritage Site in 2014, and living cultural heritage conservation has become an important principle in the current Grand Canal heritage practice; while the canal villages, as the core communities of the Grand Canal heritage, embody the continuity and changes of the Grand Canal culture, and have an important role in the living conservation, inheritance and changes of the Grand Canal culture. Therefore, this paper takes the villages along the Zhejiang section of the Grand Canal as an example and explores the living embodiment of the Grand Canal cultural heritage in the production and life of the local communities. This paper focuses on the continuity and change of the rural landscape, the canal itself, and the cultural activities related to the canal, involving the living space, daily activities, and beliefs and customs of the villagers. The paper explored provides a new dimension for thinking about the living conservation and utilization of the Grand Canal culture and its inheritance. It also provides a certain updated path for rural revitalization in the new era.