跟隨荷蘭小哥在運(yùn)河畔發(fā)掘“文化寶藏”！丨遇見美好杭州

兩年前，來自荷蘭的Thomas托馬斯從北京來到杭州，開始了他的創(chuàng)業(yè)生活。對文藝愛好者托馬斯而言，北京和杭州分別位于大運(yùn)河南北兩端，擁有悠久歷史和繁榮文化，是值得深入探索的兩座城市。行走在大運(yùn)河之畔，托馬斯常常造訪富義倉，昔日繁忙的糧倉現(xiàn)在成為了一個藝術(shù)展覽空間。他說，120多年前的木結(jié)構(gòu)建筑和當(dāng)代藝術(shù)融合，這正是大運(yùn)河的魅力所在。

流淌2500多年的大運(yùn)河，是一部書寫在華夏大地上的宏偉詩篇。如今，貨船依舊在運(yùn)河上穿梭，文化盛事依舊在運(yùn)河畔演。10月21日至10月23日，2021中國大運(yùn)河文化帶京杭對話在杭州舉行。中外學(xué)者、專家匯聚于杭州，為保護(hù)傳承大運(yùn)河世界文化遺產(chǎn)建言獻(xiàn)策。大運(yùn)河這一獨特的城市空間，正驅(qū)使著像托馬斯這樣的外國友人源源不斷地來此發(fā)掘“文化寶藏”。

托馬斯說：“在十七世紀(jì)的時候一個叫約翰·紐霍夫的荷蘭人在中國看到京杭大運(yùn)河，把自己的驚訝寫在了《荷使初訪中國記》里，300多年后的今天，我來到了京杭大運(yùn)河的南端杭州，仔細(xì)了解大運(yùn)河與杭州的歷史，會發(fā)現(xiàn)這座城市的發(fā)展和大運(yùn)河緊密相關(guān)?！?/p>

從標(biāo)志著“杭州到了”的拱宸橋到昔日最為繁忙的碼頭小河直街，再到有天下糧倉之稱的富義倉，托馬斯一路探尋京杭大運(yùn)河杭州段的文化魅力。

令托馬斯驚訝的是，京杭大運(yùn)河這個全世界最古老最長的人造交通系統(tǒng)，浙江段現(xiàn)在依舊通航，運(yùn)河上還能看到成百上千艘貨船，這樣的景象仿佛還能看到當(dāng)年運(yùn)河上的繁忙。托馬斯在馬可波羅的書里讀到過他對運(yùn)河的描述：“這樣偉大的運(yùn)河之所以值得贊美，不僅是把中國境內(nèi)的幾條大河連接起來，更重要是它對沿岸的城市造福無窮?！?/p>

托馬斯說：“京杭大運(yùn)河的通航對沿岸的城市影響深遠(yuǎn)，讓杭州從歷史上一個默默無聞的小城，成為了一個重要的商業(yè)城市。900多年前，南宋把都城設(shè)在的杭州，繁榮的經(jīng)濟(jì)和大運(yùn)河是主要的原因之一，這也讓杭州在歷史上從一個商業(yè)城市，成為了一個大都市。”

《發(fā)現(xiàn)杭州Discover HangZhou》系列短視頻預(yù)告片丨The “Discover Hangzhou” series of short videos

由杭州市委網(wǎng)信辦、印象浙江英文網(wǎng)聯(lián)合出品的“外國友人講杭州故事”之《發(fā)現(xiàn)杭州Discover HangZhou》系列短視頻已在印象浙江英文網(wǎng)（http://inzhejiang.com）上線，8集系列短片向世界講述杭州的精彩故事。

Two years ago, A Dutch young man named Thomas came to Hangzhou from Beijing to start his own business. From the perspective of an art lover, Beijing and Hangzhou, the north and south ends of the Grand Canal respectively, are worth exploring. Walking along the Grand Canal, Thomas usually visits the Fuyi Warehouse, an art exhibition space which is famous in local Hangzhou. Thomas said that this is also a place he likes so much. Its wooden architecture of more than 120 years ago is perfectly integrated with contemporary art and history of the whole city.

From September 21 to 23, The Grand Canal Cultural Belt Beijing Hangzhou Dialogue is being held in Hangzhou. The event encompasses an opening ceremony with a grand forum, 8 Grand Canal-themed activities, as well as a few welcoming events that are to be organized by Beijing City, Zhejiang Province, and its capital city - Hangzhou.

Thomas is an entrepreneur and also a big fan of Chinese history. He said that in the 17th century, a Dutch man named John Neuhoff saw the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in China and recorded his surprise in his travelogue “First Visit to China”. Nowadays, more than 300 years since then, he comes to Hangzhou again, the southern end of the Grand Canal, to understand the history of the Grand Canal and Hangzhou in detail. He is still surprised by the close relationship between the development of the city and the Grand Canal.

From Gongchen Bridge, which marks the past of Hangzhou, to Xiaohe Street, the most lively pier in the past, and again to Fuyi Warehouse known as the granary of the world, Thomas has a deep exploration of the connection between Hangzhou and the Grand Canal.

To his surprise, the Zhejiang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the oldest and longest man-made hydraulic and transportation system in the world, is still open to navigation. Hundreds of cargo ships can be seen on the canal, which seems to remind people of its busy scenes during ancient times. Thomas once read the description about the canal in Marco Polo's book: "The reason why such a great canal is commendable is that it not only connects the several large rivers in China, but more importantly, it benefits the cities along its coast."

Thomas said that the navigation opening-up of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has a profound impact on the cities along its coast, which has made Hangzhou an important commercial city from an unknown little town in history. More than 900 years ago, the Southern Song Dynasty established its capital in Hangzhou. One of the main reasons behind this is its prosperous economy and the Grand Canal, which has also made Hangzhou transform from a commercial city to a metropolis.

The “Discover Hangzhou” series of short videos, part of the Hangzhou Stories told by Foreigners Program jointly undertaken by the Office of Cyberspace Affairs Commission of Hangzhou and “In Zhejiang” has been launched on www.inzhejiang.com. The 8 episodes will tell you the fascinating stories of Hangzhou in a fresh perspective.