Giving the Canal a Grand new look

In Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, Gil Pender, a Hollywood screenwriter who is nostalgic for the Paris of the 1920s — which he considers the golden age of literature and art — is magically transported back to that era during a visit to the city. There, he encounters famous US writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein.

For Hong Kong novelist Ma Chiahui, who is well-versed in ancient Chinese poetry, the city of Yangzhou during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) is the place to which he dreams of traveling back in time.

Located in present-day Jiangsu province, Yangzhou was a bustling metropolis during the Tang Dynasty due to being a transportation hub on the Grand Canal, an ancient waterway that was begun in the 5th century BC, which eventually ran from Hangzhou to Tongzhou district in Beijing.

The city was a gathering place for scholars and literati, who were often immortalized in the work of Tang poets like Li Bai and Du Mu, who used their literary talent to extol the prosperity and beauty of Yangzhou.

"During its heyday, Yangzhou must have had an irresistible charm," Ma said during his stay in the city as part of the recently aired 10-episode online reality show, Shine! The Grand Canal, produced by video streaming platform Youku.