Its long history and distinctive character have made Nanyang a unique town in east China's Shandong Province. An old canal flows through the town which is encircled by rivers. It is the only canal that has not become silted up in east China's Shandong Province.

I still remember the first time I arrived in Nanyang. When the boat was drawing close to the bank, I asked the boatman impatiently where the old canal was. Taken aback, the boatman said: "But we were on the canal just now." How is it possible for that to be the old canal? I was confused, looking at the narrow river and the garbage drifting on the canal. Yes, the canal had grown old.

When night fell, I sat alone on the edge of the bridge immersed in thought. People were coming and going on the limpid canal, women were washing clothes near the river, children were laughing and playing in the river. Over the years time has shown its cruelty and changed the canal into an old man. Luckily, it hasn't taken away the natural beauty that God granted to Nanyang.

Long history

The earliest record of Nanyang goes back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). At that time, Nanyang had been marked on the map of the Qi Kingdom. It developed into a town of some size during the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279). When the Grand Canal was opened to navigation in 1292, Nanyang was beginning to gain some reputation for itself as a town.

During its most prosperous period, it was no exaggeration to say that shops could be found everywhere along the river banks and the sails of ships were thickly dotted along the old canal. The prosperity of Nanyang lasted for more than 600 years, until the upsurge in construction of the new railways from 1901.

Transportation on the canal entered its winter days and Nanyang no longer flourished as it had before.

Cost of protection

The small streets in Nanyang are very narrow and paved with stone slabs. On the streets today, old houses are still standing but there are no shops anymore. Local residents told me that the houses were built in the Ming (AD 1368-1644) and Qing (AD 1644-1911) dynasties. The houses had survived the flames of war when the Japanese invaded Nanyang because people paid a lot of money to the invaders to protect the houses.

When I prepared to take some photographs of these old houses, local people were puzzled. "Why take photos of these broken houses? They will be renovated soon."

Having guarded the old houses for many years, a resident who was reluctant to talk about his troubles said: "We are not permitted to pull down the rundown houses but how are we supposed to live in them?"

In spite of its many zigzag lanes you can't lose your way in Nanyang. Before I left for the town my friends told me that no matter which lane you walk down, it will lead to the old canal. Stepping out along the slab-stone paved path, I felt like I was walking into a tunnel back into history.

The watery environment makes a boat the essential form of transport in Nanyang. In China's inland towns, it is rare not to find some cars being driven about. But in Nanyang, even bicycles are rare. Around the town and on the surrounding rivers there are more than 10,000 ships. It is said that there is one ship for every two people.

In the early 1960s, fishermen in Nanyang began to build their houses on the land but the traditional way of living -- having a boat for a home -- is still common.

Every morning, fishermen row their boats to the lake to catch fish in various ways. Some fishermen stand on the front of the boats, striking the hull sharply with their hands. Scared by the noise, fish swim away and are caught in the nets which have been waiting for them.

Now that many of the old ways of fishing have become outdated, some of the locals are collecting old fishing gear and considering the establishment of a museum to display the gear.

Canal culture

The Grand Canal connects the Haihe, Yellow, Huaihe, Yangtze and Qiantang rivers and runs through the richest and most populous region of China. As the central point of the Grand Canal, for hundreds of years, Nanyang developed its own special canal culture combining northern China's "rough" style with the elegance of southern China. Commercial life co-exists side by side with the old simple life. Strolling along the little streets in Nanyang, I caught glimpses of a lot of southern Chinese architecture.

Local people have long kept up the custom of eating two meals each day. However, their ancient night fair is a "must" for visitors. It starts after midnight and when I hurried to see it in the early hours before dawn, I found people already doing their business.

First-time visitors to Nanyang will also fall in love with the lotus flowers blooming on Weishan Lake. With an area of more than 666 hectares, the best season to see the lotuses of Weishan Lake and to collect lotus roots is in summer.

Legend has it that the lotus was once a beautiful girl, who used to be a fairy, but who had married a fisherman from Nanyang. The Jade Emperor was so angry with her that he banished the fairy to the lake forever.

Before leaving her husband, the fairy told him to meet her on the lake after three days. When the fisherman came to the lake, his wife was not there, only lots of lotus. Then a sweet voice spoke in his ear. "I broke the rule of heaven so I have been turned into lotus. When you think of me, come here."
 
(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2003)