Since Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 2014, Hangzhou has implemented comprehensive protection projects for the Grand Canal to achieve industrial transformation.

As the main power plant in Hangzhou, Banshan Power Plant speaks for its old industry. Its five cooling towers are the industrial landmarks. In 2019, they were dismantled, and their counterparts (a set of new environment-friendly cooling facility) was built. The new facility is stable and efficient, and green with the function of fog dissipation and noise reduction, promoting sustainable urban development.

This transformation is the epitome of Hangzhou's urban development and industrial upgrading after the successful application of the Grand Canal as the World Cultural Heritage, offering a feasible strategy of combination of economic growth and green development.