Suzhou boatman Shao Changlai has always dreamed of having his own boat running on the canal. This wish has also been the long-cherished wish of five generations of the Shao family.In order to earn a boat, Shao Changlai used a rented boat to take Italian traveler Mark to Beijing to find relatives. The year was 1900, and the Boxer Rebellion was going on in Beijing.Shao Changlai's boat was burned in Beijing and his dream was shattered.

In 1941, Shao Changlai's son Shao Ping'an inherited his father's business and started running boats on the canal.At this time, the Wang Puppet and the Japanese invaders were clearing the country. In order to protect the underground party and save the nation, Shao Pingan sacrificed his ship and life to fight against the invaders and traitors.

In 2014, the Grand Canal was successfully applied for World Heritage status.Shao Changlai's great-great-grandson Shao Xingchi returned to his hometown to recover after a setback in his life. He met Sun Yanlin, a female painter who came to collect works for the creation of the Thousand Miles of Canal, Xie Haikuo, the owner of a small museum chain B&B, Matthews, the owner of an Italian yacht club, and others.

In the end, they decided to join forces to create a large-scale real-life performance - Thousand Miles of Canal - to reproduce the glory of the Grand Canal, pay tribute to this great canal, and pay tribute to the history, present and future.