"Writing On The Grand Canal" In The Novels Of Ming And Qing Dynasties And Its Cultural Inheritance

The excavation of the Grand Canal began in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period,and its role was mainly to meet the needs of military operations.In the Sui Dynasty,Emperor Yang of Sui vigorously built the canal,further exerting its economic and political function of transporting food and other materials.The rulers of the Tang and Song dynasties also insisted on the dredging and management of the canal.At that time,the "canal culture" was gradually nurtured and formed.The capital of the Yuan Dynasty was set in Beijing.At that time,the canal was changed.The horizontal system centered on Luoyang was changed to the vertical system centered on Dadu(Beijing),which became the embryonic form of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the Grand Canal has become an important force in maintaining centralization and national stability,promoting economic development and cultural exchanges,and has played a role as a link between the cultural exchanges between the North and the South.Classic novels such as "San Yan","Er Pai",Jin Ping Mei and Dream of Red Mansions are closely related to the Grand Canal and its culture.The canal writing in "San Yan" and "Er Pai" is very rich,which can help us understand the style of the canal city in the Ming Dynasty and the living conditions of the people at that time.The canal story played an important role in the construction of the work.The political,economic,cultural and entertainment activities described in Jin Ping Mei are closely related to the Grand Canal.The description of the canal is indispensable in the story construction and plot development of Ming and Qing novels.A large amount of canal writing also highlights the canal.Cultural and social outlook.The author of Dream of Red Mansions Cao Xueqin and his family of 5 generations and 6 members have a long history of relationship with the Grand Canal.During the creation of the work,the author naturally endowed the text of "Dream of Red Mansions" with many elements of "canal culture".The Grand Canal in "A Dream of Red Mansions" has become an important transportation basis for the characters to travel far,promoting the integration of North and South cultures and Chinese and foreign cultures.As the precious wealth of the Chinese nation,the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and its culture should be inherited and promoted,so as to cultivate cultural self-confidence and let it burst into more fresh vitality in the new era.