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Cruising China's Grand Canal: Part 4
Associated to Place: articles -- by * Feiyan Zhou (47 Articles), Historical Article


Cruising China's Grand Canal






We're now entering the Lu or Shandong Canal, and Shandong Province. It's a long way to Linqing, so let me help you pass the time by telling you a bit about the history of Shandong Province. Shandong means mountains east and refers to most of the province being east of the Taihang Mountains. Tai Shan or Mt. Tai, a ways off to the east of here, is one of five sacred Taoist mountains in China and has been an important pilgrimage destination for Taoists and Buddhists alike for over three thousand years.

Shandong is sometimes called Qilu, after the ancient states here of Qi and Lu. From the Qin dynasty on, the area was variously one or several states until China was reunified during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Song dynasty again reunified China after a period of rule by warlord factions but they ended up having to cede northern China to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty in the late twelfth century. It was then that the name Shandong came into use. The modern provincial boundaries were set during the Ming dynasty.

Shandong cooking belongs to The Eight Great Traditions of Chinese food. In the east, meals center around seafood dishes, but here in the west it is the soups which are most highly praised.

We'll be passing through Jining shortly. The town dates back at least to the Zhou dynasty, experiencing the usual muliple name and rule changes until the Yuan dynasty when the Canal was built through it and the town was renamed Chi-ning. Because of its location near a series of lakes it became a commercial hub linking the waterways with the road system in the western plain. Marco Polo mentioned this town, calling it Sinjumatu. He remarked on the large number of vessels and the quantity of merchandise, calling it "something marvelous". In the fifteenth century when the sea transport of grain was abandoned, Jining became a major collection center for grain and taxes from the southern provinces headed for Beijing. In the early sixteenth century, walls were built around the city to protect its huge granaries.

Oh, look! There, on the right bank! It's a flock of Jining Grey goats! I was hoping I could show you some. They are known for their wavy patterned hair which is much in demand. They're native to Shandong Province, you know.

The Canal meets up with the Huang He, or Yellow River on our way north. So named for the color of its water from so much sandy silt flowing through it to the sea, this river is the world's fourth longest river and gave birth to the earliest civilizations in China.

brushesOur next stop will be in Liaocheng, known as the Water City because several rivers meet here. This is the home of the famous Liaocheng Writing Brush, which has the reputation of being the finest produced in China. Craftsmen have been making their brushes here since the Three Kingdoms Period and these brushes have been used by many famous scholars, poets, and even the Kangxi Emperor, second emperor of the Qing dynasty. They come in over 200 different styles and sizes, and are made from goat hair, wolf hair and mixed hair. It is said that the most elegant calligraphy can be produced with these brushes. I'm sure you will all want to purchase several.



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Posted Oct 12, 2007 - 08:40 , Last Edited: Oct 16, 2007 - 23:01











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