A museum about the connection between Beijing and the 2,500-year-old Grand Canal opened to the public this week in the Chinese capital. The Beijing Grand Canal Museum, also called the East Branch of the Capital Museum, is located in the city’s municipal administrative center and has a total area of nearly 100,000 square meters.
The exhibition focuses on the history of Beijing and the ancient canal, shedding light on the interdependence of the city and the artificial waterway, said Tan Xiaoling, deputy curator of the Capital Museum. “There is an old saying in Beijing that the city is floating from the Grand Canal. In history, the canal served as a main location for the flow of goods and cultures,” Tan said.
As one of three landmark buildings in Beijing’s municipal administrative center, the new museum resembles a canal boat, integrating elements of vessel, navigation and water into its architecture, according to Tan. Connecting Beijing and Hangzhou in east China’s Zhejiang Province, the Grand Canal is the world’s longest artificial waterway
Source: http://www.chinahoje.net/museu-do-grande-canal-da-china-e-inaugurado-em-pequim/
