"There is something quite remarkable about witnessing the beginning of an entirely new canal corridor," Sharon Leighton, president of Inland Waterways International, said at the opening ceremony of the event on Tuesday. "The Pinglu Canal introduces a new chapter in the long story of populations using waterways to connect and create opportunity."

　　"Of everything I know, this is remarkable and leading," Leighton told the Global Times on Monday, commenting on the canal"s engineering achievements in solving technical difficulties.

　　Tomas Kolark, a canal expert from the Czech Republic, told the Global Times that the Pinglu Canal is very impressive in terms of engineering and water management.

　　"I was watching closely the preparations and mainly the construction of the canal, and it was very interesting to see it now with my own eyes," Kolark said. "Another interesting approach of the canal was, for example, it is maybe one of the world"s first bridges for wildlife crossings."

　　As a project built with protecting the environment and ecology in mind, the Pinglu Canal has built fish passages, animal bridges and bird corridors, reflecting a deliberate effort to harmonize infrastructure with nature, the Global Times learned from Pinglu Canal Group, the builder of the canal.

　　"It was interesting to see that 98 percent of the material excavated from the canal"s construction was used for construction purposes. In all, it"s very interesting to see how the canal was planned and built, and we could see today how it"s used," said Kolark.

　　Eddie Lee, a participant in the event, told the Global Times that she learned through visits to some of the hubs along the Pinglu Canal, where she saw how engineers tackled the difficulties in managing the high-water lift. She also understood the special technology used on the ship lock"s gates to ensure smooth opening and closing while withstanding the high pressure.