跟随荷兰小哥在运河畔发掘“文化宝藏”！丨遇见美好杭州

两年前，来自荷兰的Thomas托马斯从北京来到杭州，开始了他的创业生活。对文艺爱好者托马斯而言，北京和杭州分别位于大运河南北两端，拥有悠久历史和繁荣文化，是值得深入探索的两座城市。行走在大运河之畔，托马斯常常造访富义仓，昔日繁忙的粮仓现在成为了一个艺术展览空间。他说，120多年前的木结构建筑和当代艺术融合，这正是大运河的魅力所在。

流淌2500多年的大运河，是一部书写在华夏大地上的宏伟诗篇。如今，货船依旧在运河上穿梭，文化盛事依旧在运河畔演。10月21日至10月23日，2021中国大运河文化带京杭对话在杭州举行。中外学者、专家汇聚于杭州，为保护传承大运河世界文化遗产建言献策。大运河这一独特的城市空间，正驱使着像托马斯这样的外国友人源源不断地来此发掘“文化宝藏”。

托马斯说：“在十七世纪的时候一个叫约翰·纽霍夫的荷兰人在中国看到京杭大运河，把自己的惊讶写在了《荷使初访中国记》里，300多年后的今天，我来到了京杭大运河的南端杭州，仔细了解大运河与杭州的历史，会发现这座城市的发展和大运河紧密相关。”

从标志着“杭州到了”的拱宸桥到昔日最为繁忙的码头小河直街，再到有天下粮仓之称的富义仓，托马斯一路探寻京杭大运河杭州段的文化魅力。

令托马斯惊讶的是，京杭大运河这个全世界最古老最长的人造交通系统，浙江段现在依旧通航，运河上还能看到成百上千艘货船，这样的景象仿佛还能看到当年运河上的繁忙。托马斯在马可波罗的书里读到过他对运河的描述：“这样伟大的运河之所以值得赞美，不仅是把中国境内的几条大河连接起来，更重要是它对沿岸的城市造福无穷。”

托马斯说：“京杭大运河的通航对沿岸的城市影响深远，让杭州从历史上一个默默无闻的小城，成为了一个重要的商业城市。900多年前，南宋把都城设在的杭州，繁荣的经济和大运河是主要的原因之一，这也让杭州在历史上从一个商业城市，成为了一个大都市。”

《发现杭州Discover HangZhou》系列短视频预告片丨The “Discover Hangzhou” series of short videos

由杭州市委网信办、印象浙江英文网联合出品的“外国友人讲杭州故事”之《发现杭州Discover HangZhou》系列短视频已在印象浙江英文网（http://inzhejiang.com）上线，8集系列短片向世界讲述杭州的精彩故事。

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.