Exploring Changzhou's Life Aesthetics Along Grand Canal

CHANGZHOU, China, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On June 10, the event "An Encounter with Chinese Culture: Jiangsu Week of the Grand Canal Culture" was held in Brussels, home to the headquarters of the European Union. With the Grand Canal as a symbolic link, the event built a bridge for cultural exchange between civilizations. Changzhou, an ancient Jiangnan city flourishing along the canal, transformed its cuisine into a vibrant feast, showcasing the elegance and wisdom of Eastern aesthetics to captivate European audiences.

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The Jiangnan culinary tradition is a vibrant cultural tapestry and aesthetic expression woven into the life along the Grand Canal's banks. Radishes were intricately carved by artisans into soaring dragons and phoenixes; dough-sculpting masters shaped vivid figures from Chinese mythology; and traditional sugar-blowing crafts transformed sweetness into auspicious symbols. A humble bowl of stir-fried rice with dried radish, brimming with rustic charm, emerged as the event's star dish. The "Four Seasons Lion's Head" dish, artfully paired with seasonal ingredients, reflected a philosophy of living in harmony with nature. "Every dish is a masterpiece nurtured by the waters of the canal and a legacy of craftsmanship," said Liu Yuchun, Chinese Culinary Master and Executive Dean of the Jiangnan Culinary Research Institute.

The Grand Canal carries not only culinary treasures but also the profound wisdom of Eastern living. Zhu Jun, the fifth-generation inheritor of the Lanling Cheng-style Tui Na (traditional Chinese therapeutic massage), showcased two renowned techniques: the "Expanding Finger Kneading Method" and the "Soaring Dragon Tail Swinging Method," both regarded by scholars as medical legacies of canal culture. At the event, Zhu Jun's hands brought this ancient canal-nurtured wisdom to life, showcasing the healing power of traditional Chinese medicine. Notably, as early as 2023, Changzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital signed a cooperation agreement with Belgium's Guoyitang Clinic to establish the Menghe School TCM Center.

This cross-cultural encounter across mountains and seas not only added a new chapter to the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations but also propelled the ancient civilization of the Grand Canal toward a broader future -- allowing its millennia-old way of life to continue flowing with vitality.

Source: An Encounter with Chinese Culture: Jiangsu Week of the Grand Canal Culture

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