STORY: When China's Grand Canal meets Britain's Manchester Ship Canal
DATELINE: June 11, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:19
LOCATION: HANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China's Grand Canal
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies
3. various of China's Grand Canal
4. various of Britain's Manchester Ship Canal
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies
6. various of the Gongchen Bridge area
7. various of Don experiencing paper-cutting
8. various of water sports on the Grand Canal
9. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): XU JIAN, Staff of Hangzhou Shuishang Sports Club
11. various of the Dragon Boat Race Festival on the Manchester Ship Canal
12. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): PAUL DENNETT, Salford's mayor
13. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies

STORYLINE:

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies
"Hello, my name is Don. I'm from Manchester in England.
I came to Hangzhou 21 years ago to run a trading company and have been here ever since. Sitting here beside the Grand Canal in Hangzhou reminds me a lot of the Manchester Ship Canal, both are working canals. The Manchester Ship Canal and the Hangzhou Canal (the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal) have been used for transporting coal, iron ore, and textiles around the country.

The Grand Canal was listed as a world heritage site in 2014. With a history of more than 2,500 years, it served as a significant transportation artery in ancient China.

The Manchester Ship Canal in Don Munro's homeland was opened in 1894. The inland waterway links Manchester to the Irish Sea.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies
"The canal system and the Manchester Ship Canal were very famous during the Industrial Revolution when Britain was a very powerful industrial nation. And it was the infrastructure that helped, as I said before, to get commodities around Britain."

With the rapid development of modern society, the two canals have become more than just waterways.

The Gongchen Bridge area, once a busy ferry terminal along the Grand Canal, witnessed the development of the fabric processing industry in Hangzhou.

Some historical buildings have been well-preserved and tourists can visit museums and experience intangible cultural heritage here.

As the water quality of the canal improved, all kinds of water sports sprang up. In 2016, a canoeing club was opened on the Xitang River, a tributary of the canal.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies
"It's very good. A little scary to start with, but it was a lot of fun."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): XU JIAN, Staff of Hangzhou Shuishang Sports Club
"Canoeing is very popular in the West. After it was introduced to China in recent years, it has also become very popular among many water sports enthusiasts in China."

Thousands of miles away in Britain, Chinese water sports also gained popularity on the Manchester Ship Canal. The Dragon Boat Race Festival has been launched in Salford Quays since 2012.

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): PAUL DENNETT, Salford's mayor
"It's really a celebration of community, it's a celebration of cooperation. It's a celebration of sportsmanship which speaks to traditional Chinese culture and obviously, we are really living some of that today here in the city of Salford."

The canals are acting as conduits of cultural inheritance and communication.

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): DON MUNRO, CEO of Efergy Technologies
"Now a lot of the canals you can pass by, and beside the canals, they have bars, coffee shops, restaurants, museums. And it's a very nice way to enjoy the water again."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hangzhou, China.
(XHTV)