Grand Canal and Silk Road set for world heritage list

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.