BEIJING SERIES—
THE BAHE RIVER CANAL
IN ANCIENT TIMES, HALF CLOTHED MEN PULLED CANAL BOATS ALONG THE BAHE RIVER,
TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS AND GOODS TO AND FROM BEIJING’S EASTERN GATEWAY.
CONSTRUCTED 800 YEARS AGO, THE BAHE STARTED LIFE AS A CANAL. DURING RECENT
DYNASTIES, HOWEVER, AUTHORITIES NEGLECTED THE WATERWAY. THUS IT FELL INTO
DISREPAIR AND, IRONICALLY, DEGENERATED INTO A NATURAL RIVER SYSTEM. IN 2001,
THE GOVERNMENT STARTED PROJECTS TO REDUCE POLLUTION AND TO ADDRESS OTHER
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. GENTRIFICATION OF THE BAHE RIVER IS NOW ON FAST FORWARD.
THE GOVERNMENT IS TRANSFORMING THE WATERWAY INTO A DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR FOR
PREMIUM HIGH-RISE HOUSING ESTATES, A SYMBOL OF THE NEW CHINA—MODERN,
CLEAN, AND ACQUISITIVE.
Dam #1, 2009.
