This year marks the 12th anniversary of the Grand Canal's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and in Hangzhou, the 10th Grand Canal Cultural Heritage Protection Awareness Week is in full swing.

A Chinese and a Sudanese young ambassador recently visited the Hangzhou Comprehensive Protection Center for the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (Hangzhou Section), to witness firsthand how a millennium‑old living waterway is being safeguarded with the "Smart Canal" system.