Investigation And Study On Cultural Heritage Of Hexia Ancient Town In Huaian

With the successful bid for the Grand Canal,the state has launched the Grand Canal National Cultural Park project to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of the Grand Canal culture.In recent years,Jiangsu Province has been promoting the investigation and protection of cultural heritage along the canal in the province,and in 2021,the Huai’an Municipal Government has also launched a project to build a 100-mile gallery along the Grand Canal.These initiatives are all aimed at preserving the canal heritage,promoting canal culture and enhancing cultural confidence.The ancient town of Hexia is located in the lower section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal,which is not only a national key cultural heritage protection unit,but also a core protection zone of Huai’an,a national historical and cultural city.In order to better utilise the real value of the cultural heritage of the ancient town,it is important to investigate and research the rich cultural heritage resources within the town.Firstly,the analysis of the natural geographical overview,historical and humanistic background and development and evolution of the ancient town of He Xia was combined with local documents to look at the background of the formation of the cultural heritage of the ancient town;secondly,based on official records and field visits to the various types of cultural heritage existing in the ancient town of He Xia,the tangible cultural heritage was divided into three main categories: ancient buildings,ancient sites and ancient tombs,and field mapping and photography of ancient buildings and sites were carried out to record their age 、scale and save status.The intangible cultural heritage surveyed was also grouped into the categories of traditional medicine and folk arts,and their intrinsic characteristics and values were explored;finally,the characteristics of the town’s form,the superiority of municipal construction,and the characteristics of local folk beliefs and the essence of social customs were looked at in the context of the cultural heritage of the ancient town and the development of local society,to promote better protection,inheritance and utilisation of the local community’s cultural heritage of ancient towns.During the survey,it was found that there are a large number of well-preserved residential buildings,commercial shops and religious temples in the ancient town of He Xia,and that they have evolved over the centuries to form an architectural style with regional characteristics,which is of great practical value for the study of the formation,evolution and intermingling of canal cultures.At the same time,the whole eel feast-making techniques in the ancient town highlight the delicacy and splendour of Huaiyang cuisine,and Wu Jutong’s Wen Bingtiaobian’s Article of Discernment provides the theoretical basis for the current Chinese medical treatment of the new crown pneumonia epidemic.As General Secretary Xi Jinping said,"The 1,000-year Grand Canal bears witness to the great Chinese creation".Only by deeply exploring the cultural heritage of the ancient town under the river can we gain a more comprehensive understanding of the value of the canal heritage and do a better job of protecting it.Therefore,this paper conducts a comprehensive survey and study of the various types of cultural heritage in the ancient town,which will help to protect and utilise the local cultural heritage resources,and also make a scientific exploration for the future economic development and cultural and tourism integration of the ancient town.