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‘Our job is done，” said Chai Maoshan， reinforcement engineer at the Xiejia Dam， the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal in Hebei Province.
Chai spent every day between June and September last year doing repairs on the ancient artificial river project as part of efforts to gain UNESCO World Heritage recognition.
It has been five years since China first submitted an application for the Grand Canal to gain UNESCO World Heritage status in March 2008.
Among locals， the dam is nicknamed “sticky rice dam，” according to the engineer， “because the dam was made with materials including sticky rice soup.”
The dam is located in Dongguang County， southeast Hebei. It is 235 meters long， 3.6 meters wide and 5 meters high， covering an area of 1，175 square meters.
Chai and his construction team met unexpected difficulties during the dam-strengthening project. “Despite undergoing no major repair work until last year， the dam is still very sturdy. We could hardly drive a nail into it，” he said.
The superb construction technology used on the ancient water project is impressive.
Sun Jingchang， in charge of heritage protection for the Grand Canal section in Hebei Province， said， “Locals adopted the sticky rice grouting technique while building the dam some 200 years ago.”
Sticky rice， similar to cement， was widely used in ancient Chinese construction， including dams and castle walls. Thanks to this technique， the dam has stood the test of time， Sun said.
“There are only two sections of the Grand Canal that employ this unique method， with both located in Hebei，” he added.
Two hundred years ago， during the lat-ter half of the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）， the curving embankments of the Xiejia Dam were eroded due to frequent floods. A rich local gentleman surnamed Xie subsequently contributed money to rebuilding the collapsed dam， using a special technique.
Xie bought over 5，000 kg of sticky rice from south China， which was boiled in many large iron pots for days on end. Over time， all that remained was a thick liquid， which was mixed with lime and loess， and used as mortar. The concoction was so solid that the dam never collapsed. In commemoration， the dam thus received its present name.
“Despite a history of more than two centuries， the Xiejia Dam has remained intact and functional，” Sun noted.
At present， strengthening work， including environmental restoration， gardening and construction of facilities， has been completed. “We are well prepared for the upcoming inspection of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee this summer，” Sun said. However， repairing the dam was no walk in the park， Chai said. “We had to ensure that we didn’t change the original look and function. Therefore， we adopted traditional techniques to rebuild weathered and damaged areas.”
Experts made every effort to ensure that original materials were used during restoration. Workers mixed sticky rice with local soil and lime for mending purposes while driving thousands of specially coated wooden wedges into the dam for added stability and strength.
Chen Yong， an executive member of the Chinese Institute of Archeology and an expert of the Chinese World Heritage Committee， said preparations for enlisting the Grand Canal and its related landmarks as a world heritage site have entered a key phase.
Over the years， the government has become acquainted with the procedures regulated by the World Heritage Convention， with a thorough archeological survey of relics along the Grand Canal having been implemented. “At present， we need to further strengthen our efforts in an all-round way，” Chen said.
“To everyone dedicated to heritage protection， better preserving the Grand Canal is the ultimate goal，” he added.
Applying for world heritage recognition is a complicated matter. However， Zhu Bingren， a prominent master in copper sculpture and an initiator of the Grand Canal appeal， predicted， “It is highly possible that we will be successful.”
As early as 2005， joined by well-known urban planning architect Zheng Xiaoxie and historic architect Luo Zhewen， Zhu wrote a letter to 18 mayors of cities along the Grand Canal， suggesting a UNESCO application be made. In Zhu’s view， the Grand Canal， with its 2，000-year history， and spanning the same length as the Great Wall， has remarkable significance for Chinese civilization.
In 2006， at the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， a proposal for the Grand Canal’s application for world heritage was submitted and approved.
In 2011， West Lake in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province was enlisted as a cultural heritage site by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee， boosting confidence for the Grand Canal proposal， Zhu said.
“Hangzhou is the starting point for the Grand Canal，” he explained. “The lake can serve as an example for other cities along the Grand Canal when applying for world heritage recognition.”
About the Grand Canal
The Grand Canal and Great Wall are the two greatest projects of ancient China. Both are symbols of Chinese civilization. The Grand Canal links five river systems， including Haihe， Huaihe， Yangtze， Qiantang and Yellow rivers.
It is also the longest man-made canal， totaling 1，794 km in length， and about 10 times as long as the Suez Canal， as well as 22 times the size of its Panama counterpart. It’s also one of the oldest canals in the world at almost 2，500 years of age， having been built in 487 B.C. The Hangzhou to Beijing stretch was completed during the Yuan Dynasty （1271-1368）.
Up to now， the Grand Canal has served as a transportation artery linking south and north China. For example， cereal is transported from south to north while coal is carried in the reverse direction. The canal also carries additional functions， including irrigation and flood divisions.
Chai spent every day between June and September last year doing repairs on the ancient artificial river project as part of efforts to gain UNESCO World Heritage recognition.
It has been five years since China first submitted an application for the Grand Canal to gain UNESCO World Heritage status in March 2008.
Among locals， the dam is nicknamed “sticky rice dam，” according to the engineer， “because the dam was made with materials including sticky rice soup.”
The dam is located in Dongguang County， southeast Hebei. It is 235 meters long， 3.6 meters wide and 5 meters high， covering an area of 1，175 square meters.
Chai and his construction team met unexpected difficulties during the dam-strengthening project. “Despite undergoing no major repair work until last year， the dam is still very sturdy. We could hardly drive a nail into it，” he said.
The superb construction technology used on the ancient water project is impressive.
Sun Jingchang， in charge of heritage protection for the Grand Canal section in Hebei Province， said， “Locals adopted the sticky rice grouting technique while building the dam some 200 years ago.”
Sticky rice， similar to cement， was widely used in ancient Chinese construction， including dams and castle walls. Thanks to this technique， the dam has stood the test of time， Sun said.
“There are only two sections of the Grand Canal that employ this unique method， with both located in Hebei，” he added.
Two hundred years ago， during the lat-ter half of the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）， the curving embankments of the Xiejia Dam were eroded due to frequent floods. A rich local gentleman surnamed Xie subsequently contributed money to rebuilding the collapsed dam， using a special technique.
Xie bought over 5，000 kg of sticky rice from south China， which was boiled in many large iron pots for days on end. Over time， all that remained was a thick liquid， which was mixed with lime and loess， and used as mortar. The concoction was so solid that the dam never collapsed. In commemoration， the dam thus received its present name.
“Despite a history of more than two centuries， the Xiejia Dam has remained intact and functional，” Sun noted.
At present， strengthening work， including environmental restoration， gardening and construction of facilities， has been completed. “We are well prepared for the upcoming inspection of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee this summer，” Sun said. However， repairing the dam was no walk in the park， Chai said. “We had to ensure that we didn’t change the original look and function. Therefore， we adopted traditional techniques to rebuild weathered and damaged areas.”
Experts made every effort to ensure that original materials were used during restoration. Workers mixed sticky rice with local soil and lime for mending purposes while driving thousands of specially coated wooden wedges into the dam for added stability and strength.
Chen Yong， an executive member of the Chinese Institute of Archeology and an expert of the Chinese World Heritage Committee， said preparations for enlisting the Grand Canal and its related landmarks as a world heritage site have entered a key phase.
Over the years， the government has become acquainted with the procedures regulated by the World Heritage Convention， with a thorough archeological survey of relics along the Grand Canal having been implemented. “At present， we need to further strengthen our efforts in an all-round way，” Chen said.
“To everyone dedicated to heritage protection， better preserving the Grand Canal is the ultimate goal，” he added.
Applying for world heritage recognition is a complicated matter. However， Zhu Bingren， a prominent master in copper sculpture and an initiator of the Grand Canal appeal， predicted， “It is highly possible that we will be successful.”
As early as 2005， joined by well-known urban planning architect Zheng Xiaoxie and historic architect Luo Zhewen， Zhu wrote a letter to 18 mayors of cities along the Grand Canal， suggesting a UNESCO application be made. In Zhu’s view， the Grand Canal， with its 2，000-year history， and spanning the same length as the Great Wall， has remarkable significance for Chinese civilization.
In 2006， at the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， a proposal for the Grand Canal’s application for world heritage was submitted and approved.
In 2011， West Lake in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province was enlisted as a cultural heritage site by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee， boosting confidence for the Grand Canal proposal， Zhu said.
“Hangzhou is the starting point for the Grand Canal，” he explained. “The lake can serve as an example for other cities along the Grand Canal when applying for world heritage recognition.”
About the Grand Canal
The Grand Canal and Great Wall are the two greatest projects of ancient China. Both are symbols of Chinese civilization. The Grand Canal links five river systems， including Haihe， Huaihe， Yangtze， Qiantang and Yellow rivers.
It is also the longest man-made canal， totaling 1，794 km in length， and about 10 times as long as the Suez Canal， as well as 22 times the size of its Panama counterpart. It’s also one of the oldest canals in the world at almost 2，500 years of age， having been built in 487 B.C. The Hangzhou to Beijing stretch was completed during the Yuan Dynasty （1271-1368）.
Up to now， the Grand Canal has served as a transportation artery linking south and north China. For example， cereal is transported from south to north while coal is carried in the reverse direction. The canal also carries additional functions， including irrigation and flood divisions.