Hangzhou is a significant node of the Grand Canal，serving as the southern end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the starting point of the Zhedong Canal. The city’s rich history intersects with its present reality，as its culture is cultivated and sustained by the Grand Canal. Hangzhou plays a crucial role in protecting，preserving and utilizing the Grand Canal culture as part of the national strategy of establishing the Grand Canal Cultural Belt and constructing the national cultural park. This mission is essential for continuing the city’s cultural value and activating its functional value. As for the protection，Hangzhou has established professional institutions for long-term protection，formulated local laws and regulations，and special plans to protect the canal heritage. Specific measures have been implemented to protect the heritage in a scientific and professional manner. Continuous research，promotion，and comprehensive protection are ongoing. As for the utilization of the canal heritage，Hangzhou has adopted the policy of “protection first，strengthening management，exploiting value，effective utilization，and revitalizing cultural heritage” and has actively explored the revitalization and utilization of the heritage sites of the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal. Hangzhou has focused on the connotative characteristics of the Grand Canal as a living heritage，especially the fact that the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal passes through its downtown area，and has balanced the relationship between heritage protection and urban development，striving to create a mutually beneficial situation in which heritage protection empowers urban development and urban development contributes to heritage protection，so as to create an integrated urban space where the ancient and the modern coexist.