Zhao Xiumei turned to wickerwork in 2001 after being laid off from her mining job in Shandong province's Zaozhuang, where the economy slumped after its coal reserves dwindled.

But she barely earned enough to make ends meet.

"Zaozhuang was known for its coal. We had no tourists. My wickerwork could only be sold to dealers, so I earned little from production," the 41-year-old says.

But things have changed for the better - the city's tourism industry boomed as the ancient Grand Canal has become an increasingly popular travel destination.

Her fortunes reversed when she rented a 20-square-meter space in the rebuilt ancient town of Tai'erzhuang on the bank of the Jia Canal, a stretch of the interprovincial waterway.

"I never imagined my business would grow so fast," she recalls.

"Tourists like to buy wickerwork souvenirs. I earn up to four times what I did before."

Zhao now runs a 102-square-meter store in Tai'erzhuang, selling eight kinds of wicker items, including boxes, baskets and furniture.

She also heads up a cooperative of about 200 women, who make wicker products for her.

"It's the ancient town that has helped me expand," Zhao says. "The canal has run through the town for centuries. It will continue to bless our business. I have faith in it."

The 2-square-kilometer town is home to nearly 20,000 people.

Tai'erzhuang was rebuilt after the ancient town was destroyed during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

It was established in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and thrived during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when the Jia Canal was built through the town.

"Tai'erzhuang became prosperous overnight because of the Grand Canal," Zaozhuang's Party chief Chen Wei says.

The Jia Canal is colloquially known as the "canal of pound locks" because eight locks control water levels.

Tai'erzhuang had the first pound lock barges pass through when the water enters Shandong from Jiangsu province.

"In ancient times, passing through a lock took at least two weeks and sometimes up to two months. So merchants had to stay in Tai'erzhuang, which boosted the town's economy," Zaozhuang's Grand Canal culture promotion office expert Dong Yunqi says.

The Annals of Yi County records that more than 10,000 barges passed through Tai'erzhuang a year, making the town an important transport base during the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Tai'erzhuang's permanent population then reached 60,000, and about 150,000 others passed through every year, Dong says.

These people left great legacies - both tangible and intangible.

The town once had about 6,000 buildings constructed in eight architectural styles and 72 temples for major world religions, such as Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Buddhism, Dong says.

But the ancient town of Tai'erzhuang was mostly destroyed during World War II. The local government began rebuilding in 2006 to lure tourists. It has worked to make the new Tai'erzhuang as close to the old one as possible.