SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- With the sun shining above the rippling Grand Canal, 33-year-old Zhang Yang and his friends cycled along a tree-lined road next to this famed watercourse in the city of Cangzhou in north China's Hebei Province.

"The road is smooth and has been developed well," Zhang said. "It's amazing to take a ride and enjoy the scenic view of this ancient canal."

An ideal route for cyclists like Zhang, this road is known as Diding, which means top of embankment in Chinese. It has gained nationwide recognition and was named one of the top 10 most beautiful rural roads in China for 2024.

Winding along the Cangzhou section of the Grand Canal, the 308-km road connects more than 300 villages across eight county-level regions. Since opening in 2021, it has helped showcase the country's endeavors to breathe new life into the world's longest artificial waterway.

With a history of over 2,500 years, the Grand Canal, connecting Beijing and Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province, served as a significant transportation artery in ancient China. However, due to historical evolution, human activity and climate change, some sections of the canal gradually dried up in the 20th century.

In recent years, Cangzhou has stepped up efforts to refill the canal through water projects and improve its overall environment, transforming its banks into ecological corridors.

Zhang Lichun, 63, has witnessed remarkable changes in his home village. "The canal-side space used to be covered with waste and weeds, but now there's a clean and pretty road for us to unwind," he said.

"The Diding Road links a lot of green parks and has brought people of all ages closer to natural beauty," noted Liu Tao, an official with the cultural and tourism department in Cangzhou.

Besides, the road strings numerous historical sites along the canal together, making it easier for visitors to explore its cultural richness.

In 2014, the Grand Canal was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Xiejiaba, a centuries-old hydraulic facility in Lianzhen Town, included as one of its component parts.

Using glutinous rice paste as an important building material, the 200-plus-meter-long levee once played an important role in preventing floods and contributed Chinese wisdom to the development of global hydraulic engineering, said Yu Cheng, deputy head of Lianzhen Town.

Today, Diding Road is leading more visitors directly to this ancient structure and an adjacent exhibition hall that details its history. "We've installed more street lamps, temporary restrooms and other facilities on the nearby road to optimize the travel experience," said Yu.

Beyond Lianzhen, the road has brought wider public attention to more regions, where local people are seizing development opportunities to improve their lives.

One of the shining examples is Simazhuang Village. Leveraging its strengths in vegetable production, the village has branded itself as a destination for vegetable agritourism.

"We grow nearly 100 types of vegetables and fruits in our cultivation bases," said Liu Jicheng, former Party secretary of the village. "Tourists can pick the harvests by themselves and enjoy our signature vegetable feasts."

The small village saw nearly 50,000 visits during this year's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in early October, according to Liu.

Statistics show that the road as a whole has delivered entrepreneurial and employment opportunities to more than 100,000 residents, driving average annual income growth of over 10 percent for villages along the route.

"This is a road toward prosperity," Liu added. Enditem